Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $306 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $306 in Shimla.

Austin, TX $2,663
Shimla $306

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $500 in Shimla.

Austin, TX $4,133
Shimla $500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $694 in Shimla.

Austin, TX $5,603
Shimla $694

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 770% more expensive than in Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Shimla is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.53 ₹145

1257.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$10.60 ₹1,006

698.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$3.11 ₹295

296.14%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$0.90 ₹85.3

525.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.35 ₹33.46

962.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.11 ₹10.75

2172.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.60 ₹152

403.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.08 ₹197

333.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.64 ₹60.5

75.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.42 ₹40.15

792.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.62 ₹59.2

425.81%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$0.85 ₹80.3

390.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.28 ₹406

201.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.28 ₹311

331.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.80 ₹171

140.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.70 ₹66.8

108.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.67 ₹64.0

573.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.48 ₹45.27

804.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.28 ₹26.57

821.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.36 ₹34.28

552.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.22 ₹20.91

709.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.27 ₹25.62

722.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.49 ₹331

183.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.35 ₹793

80.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.48 ₹140

97.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.02 ₹192

71.29%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.77 ₹358

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.22 ₹20.92

577.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$7.72 ₹733

440.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.08 ₹102

152.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.30 ₹28.25

453.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$1.08 ₹102

3168.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.07 ₹102

-11.21%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$8,473 ₹804.6K

325.46%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.4K ₹1.7M

55.15%

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

$229 $229

$18.12 ₹1,721

1163.74%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$3.04 ₹289

1853.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$6.76 ₹642

934.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$13.89 ₹1,319

312.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.41 ₹988

56.87%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.07 ₹291

365.15%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$40.81 ₹3,875

3589.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,117 ₹201.1K

913.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$25.09 ₹2,383

110.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$21.45 ₹2,037

104.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$38.68 ₹3,674

119.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$25.67 ₹2,438

301.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$84.2 ₹7,992

2165.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$53.0 ₹5,037

2302.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$199 ₹18.9K

1737.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$127 ₹12.1K

1899.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$552 ₹52.4K

1278.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$553 ₹52.5K

471.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$607 ₹57.7K

743.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.25

-17.70%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shimla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Shimla

$53 17.3% 95.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Shimla

$98 31.9% 75.8% $307

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Shimla

$28 9.1% 92.2% $330

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Shimla

$46 15.1% 86.9% $308

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Shimla

$50 16.3% 61% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Shimla

$20 6.5% 76.7% $66

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Shimla

$11 3.7% 81% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $84.2 in Shimla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 743% 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 $11.00 in Shimla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $98.0 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

00:55 12:55 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

170,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

INR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Shimla 13,170 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Shimla

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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shimla wins on cost – living expenses run 770% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shimla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 743% 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 $84.2 in Shimla. 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 $306 in Shimla – a 770% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shimla runs roughly 440% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $306 in Shimla versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shimla but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Shimla 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 Shimla 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 Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 770% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.