Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $973 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
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Shakhty Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $973 in Shakhty.

Austin, TX $2,698
Shakhty $973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,539 in Shakhty.

Austin, TX $4,160
Shakhty $1,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,105 in Shakhty.

Austin, TX $5,622
Shakhty $2,105

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 177% more expensive than in Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Shakhty is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$9.92 ₽828

107.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$37.22 ₽3,106

127.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.74 ₽479

110.28%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.40 ₽201

128.33%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.16 ₽96.5

227.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.57 ₽47.83

333.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.61 ₽134

400.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.63 ₽220

237.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.19 ₽99.1

-6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.80 ₽66.5

365.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.50 ₽125

124.67%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.62 ₽135

166.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.16 ₽848

29.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$4.96 ₽414

185.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.31 ₽861

58.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.69 ₽141

169.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.55 ₽130

-5.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.05 ₽171

129.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.05 ₽254

36.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.84 ₽70.3

207.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.65 ₽53.9

261.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.25 ₽105

41.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.73 ₽60.7

193.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.89 ₽241

249.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.01 ₽585

116.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.95 ₽79.3

196.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.30 ₽192

49.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.59 ₽48.93

161.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.26 ₽189

23.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.32 ₽26.88

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.03 ₽504

469.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.85 ₽70.5

10.59%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$59.1K ₽4.9M

-42.47%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$44.0K ₽3.7M

-39.21%

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

$223 $223

$105 ₽8,740

112.61%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$6.49 ₽542

807.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$7.40 ₽618

853.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$32.98 ₽2,752

74.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$26.70 ₽2,229

-38.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.53 ₽461

157.87%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$336 ₽28.1K

349.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$6,458 ₽539.0K

223.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$72.0 ₽6,010

-28.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$45.27 ₽3,779

-2.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$109 ₽9,135

-20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$115 ₽9,611

-9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$496 ₽41.4K

290.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$304 ₽25.4K

332.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$776 ₽64.7K

372.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$559 ₽46.7K

358.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,448 ₽204.3K

200.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,378 ₽115.0K

127.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

21.45

-68.34%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Shakhty

$304 31.3% 76.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Shakhty

$201 20.6% 50.6% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Shakhty

$119 12.2% 66.3% $234

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Shakhty

$146 15% 58.4% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Shakhty

$154 15.8% 19.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Shakhty

$44 4.5% 48.9% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Shakhty

$6.2 * 0.6% 89.3% $52

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $496 in Shakhty. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $37.00 in Shakhty for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $201 per month, with Shakhty cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

235,492

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

RUB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Shakhty 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shakhty wins on cost – living expenses run 177% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shakhty the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,460 in Shakhty 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $496 in Shakhty. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $336 in Shakhty. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shakhty – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $973 in Shakhty versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shakhty but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Shakhty 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 Shakhty gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.