Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Samara

For one person, living is cheaper in Samara: $739 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Samara

🇷🇺 Russia

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Samara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $739 in Samara.

Austin, TX $2,704
Samara $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,211 in Samara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Samara $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,682 in Samara.

Austin, TX $5,562
Samara $1,682

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 266% more expensive than in Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Samara is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$8.26 ₽703

144.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$41.15 ₽3,501

106.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.88 ₽416

153.07%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.15 ₽183

154.42%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.07 ₽91.5

257.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.51 ₽42.99

390.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.39 ₽119

479.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$1.49 ₽126

503.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.21 ₽103

-6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.98 ₽83.4

285.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.59 ₽135

104.40%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.46 ₽124

183.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$11.80 ₽1,004

10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$7.11 ₽605

101.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$7.20 ₽613

121.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.97 ₽253

47.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.81 ₽154

-19.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.09 ₽348

2.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.82 ₽69.7

220.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.34 ₽28.52

594.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.55 ₽47.15

292.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.52 ₽214

289.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.04 ₽88.3

167.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.48 ₽40.85

210.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.50 ₽297

-23.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$3.59 ₽306

883.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.84 ₽71.2

17.86%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.2K ₽2.2M

3.87%

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

$219 $219

$136 ₽11.6K

61.10%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$4.81 ₽409

1105.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$13.57 ₽1,155

403.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$41.44 ₽3,526

39.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$21.03 ₽1,789

-29.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$11.89 ₽1,012

18.84%

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

$1,509 $1,509

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$142 ₽12.1K

-63.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$77.2 ₽6,569

-42.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$154 ₽13.1K

-44.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$82.0 ₽6,978

28.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,369 ₽201.5K

221.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,519 ₽129.3K

110.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

25.03

-72.87%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Samara: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Samara

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Samara

$188 * 25.4% 53.4% $215

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Samara

$123 16.6% 64.7% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Samara

$154 20.9% 55.3% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Samara

$205 27.7% 59.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Samara

$65 8.8% 24.3% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Samara

$5.4 * 0.7% 90.5% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $41.00 in Samara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $188 per month, with Samara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇺 Samara

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

14:26 2:26 PM

9 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,163,645

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

RUB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Samara 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samara wins on cost – living expenses run 266% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Samara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,109 in Samara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $739 in Samara – a 266% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $739 in Samara versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Samara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Samara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $739 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Samara hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Samara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 266% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.