Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Sangju: $1,418 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Sangju
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Sangju Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Sangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,418 in Sangju.

Austin, TX $2,663
Sangju $1,418

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,194 in Sangju.

Austin, TX $4,133
Sangju $2,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,970 in Sangju.

Austin, TX $5,603
Sangju $2,970

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 88% more expensive than in Sangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Sangju 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.08 ₩8,086

241.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$34.36 ₩45.7K

146.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.65 ₩8,846

85.26%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.71 ₩4,939

51.75%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.55 ₩2,055

140.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.58 ₩775

331.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.54 ₩4,708

127.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.38 ₩5,817

105.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.26 ₩3,005

-50.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.02 ₩4,020

24.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.30 ₩3,058

41.74%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.31 ₩4,399

25.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$15.56 ₩20.7K

-17.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.62 ₩10.1K

85.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.32 ₩15.1K

43.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$7.57 ₩10.1K

-42.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.26 ₩4,335

-55.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$7.57 ₩10.1K

-40.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$7.12 ₩9,462

-39.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.54 ₩4,701

-27.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.37 ₩3,154

-0.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.00 ₩2,657

-11.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 ₩1,769

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.29 ₩4,379

200.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.50 ₩24.6K

-18.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.20 ₩2,921

32.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.47 ₩4,609

-0.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.15 ₩1,523

29.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.74 ₩4,977

-27.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.61 ₩817

172.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$12.83 ₩17.1K

175.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.39 ₩1,855

-31.65%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.9K ₩38.4M

24.75%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$35.5K ₩47.3M

-23.82%

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

$229 $229

$208 ₩276.1K

10.29%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$43.09 ₩57.3K

37.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.94 ₩27.8K

233.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$51.5 ₩68.5K

11.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.08 ₩16.1K

35.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.00 ₩14.6K

29.82%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$297 ₩394.3K

407.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.8K ₩23.7M

20.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$64.8 ₩86.1K

-18.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-30.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.4 ₩100.3K

12.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$100 ₩133.0K

2.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$492 ₩653.6K

288.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$365 ₩485.9K

248.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,160 ₩1.5M

215.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$757 ₩1.0M

235.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,193 ₩9.6M

5.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,380 ₩7.2M

-41.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,433 ₩1.9M

257.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.1

65.61%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sangju: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Sangju

$365 25.8% 71.3% $909

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Sangju

$412 29% 1.7% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Sangju

$272 19.2% 24.2% $87

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Sangju

$148 10.5% 58.1% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Sangju

$137 9.6% 6.7% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Sangju

$74 5.2% 14.3% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Sangju

$11 * 0.8% 80.6% $47

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 $492 in Sangju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 257% 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 $34.00 in Sangju. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $412, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇷 Sangju

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

04:04 4:04 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

100,947

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

KRW to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Sangju 11,190 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sangju

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 Sangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sangju wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sangju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 257% 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 $492 in Sangju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $297 in Sangju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sangju – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,418 in Sangju versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sangju but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sangju 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 Sangju 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 Sangju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.