Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,441 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,441 in Saint-Etienne.

Austin, TX $2,663
Saint-Etienne $1,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,272 in Saint-Etienne.

Austin, TX $4,133
Saint-Etienne $2,272

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,103 in Saint-Etienne.

Austin, TX $5,603
Saint-Etienne $3,103

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 85% more expensive than in Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Saint-Etienne 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$16.72 €14.88

24.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$56.6 €50.4

49.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$13.48 €11.99

-8.61%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.03 €1.81

177.34%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.45 €3.07

7.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.62 €1.44

54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.11 €4.55

57.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.52 €4.91

63.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.31 €1.17

-14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.14 €1.01

228.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.17 €1.93

50.23%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.04 €2.71

37.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$17.41 €15.49

-25.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.94 €9.73

29.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$16.43 €14.61

-1.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.43 €3.05

26.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.61 €2.32

-44.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.43 €2.17

85.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.83 €2.52

53.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.60 €1.42

61.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.71 €1.52

37.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.13 €1.01

57.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.24 €2.00

-0.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$12.22 €10.87

-19.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.11 €8.99

49.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.44 €3.06

-15.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.39 €3.02

2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.81 €1.61

-17.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$39.38 €35.03

5.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.71 €2.41

0.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.07 €1.84

-54.11%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.9K €17.7K

80.72%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.5K €28.9K

-16.75%

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

$229 $229

$168 €150

36.02%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$29.15 €25.93

103.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$18.79 €16.71

272.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$30.48 €27.11

87.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$6.63 €5.90

146.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.90 €8.80

44.24%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$984 €875

53.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$15.8K €14.0K

36.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$70.6 €62.8

-25.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$30.10 €26.77

45.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$103 €91.9

-17.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$154 €137

-32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$526 €468

262.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$367 €326

247.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$883 €786

314.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$713 €634

255.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,679 €1,494

353.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,631 €1,451

93.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,205 €1,961

132.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.67

85.01%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Saint-Etienne

$367 25.5% 71.2% $907

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Saint-Etienne

$342 23.7% 15.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Saint-Etienne

$216 15% 39.6% $142

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.7% 27.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Saint-Etienne

$161 11.2% 25.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 41.4% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Saint-Etienne

$49 * 3.4% 16% $9.4

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 $526 in Saint-Etienne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 132% 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 $57.0 in Saint-Etienne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $342 per month, with Saint-Etienne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

172,718

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Saint-Etienne 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Etienne wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Saint-Etienne the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 132% 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 $526 in Saint-Etienne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,441 in Saint-Etienne – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Saint-Etienne runs roughly 6% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,441 in Saint-Etienne versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saint-Etienne but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Etienne 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Saint-Etienne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Saint-Etienne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.