Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Roodepoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Roodepoort: $1,193 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Roodepoort
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Roodepoort Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Roodepoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Roodepoort

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Roodepoort actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,193 in Roodepoort.

Austin, TX $2,663
Roodepoort $1,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,783 in Roodepoort.

Austin, TX $4,133
Roodepoort $1,783

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,372 in Roodepoort.

Austin, TX $5,603
Roodepoort $2,372

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 123% more expensive than in Roodepoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Roodepoort is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.26 R 202

69.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$44.52 R 733

90.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.08 R 117

74.01%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.48 R 40.89

127.02%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.14 R 18.71

226.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.87 R 14.32

187.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.32 R 38.18

246.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.91 R 47.94

209.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.20 R 19.70

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.19 R 19.53

215.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.78 R 29.37

83.15%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.43 R 39.97

71.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.61 R 142

49.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.46 R 89.9

159.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.73 R 144

85.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.87 R 30.80

131.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.82 R 30.01

-19.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.72 R 28.35

162.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.05 R 33.72

111.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.72 R 28.35

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.70 R 28.01

38.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.23 R 20.28

44.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 R 21.89

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.30 R 54.3

199.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.17 R 102

144.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.51 R 24.95

93.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.90 R 31.31

82.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.88 R 14.44

69.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.86 R 14.22

217.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.95 R 15.61

74.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$14.72 R 242

139.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.50 R 24.77

-36.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.4K R 583.1K

1.85%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.2K R 563.7K

-20.87%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 $229

$234 R 3,852

-2.06%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.4 $59.4

$38.70 R 638

53.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$36.73 R 605

90.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$48.15 R 793

18.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.42 R 122

92.45%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$247 R 4,064

510.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,566 R 91.7K

285.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.9 R 887

-1.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$32.75 R 540

33.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$110 R 1,816

-23.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$91.5 R 1,507

12.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$603 R 9,939

216.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$297 R 4,895

328.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,519 R 25.0K

141.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$524 R 8,640

384.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,504 R 24.8K

240.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.25

-39.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Roodepoort: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Roodepoort

$297 24.9% 76.7% $977

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Roodepoort

$210 17.6% 48% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Roodepoort

$309 25.9% 13.7% $49

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Roodepoort

$175 14.6% 50.7% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Roodepoort

$130 10.9% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Roodepoort

$63 5.3% 26.6% $23

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Roodepoort

$9.1 * 0.8% 84.5% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $603 in Roodepoort. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 240% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $45.00 in Roodepoort for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $210 per month, with Roodepoort cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Roodepoort

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

325,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Roodepoort 14,720 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Roodepoort

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Roodepoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roodepoort wins on cost – living expenses run 123% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Roodepoort the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 240% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $603 in Roodepoort. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $247 in Roodepoort. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Roodepoort – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,193 in Roodepoort versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roodepoort but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Roodepoort the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Roodepoort gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.