Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $906 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $906 in Shumen.

Austin, TX $2,663
Shumen $906

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,409 in Shumen.

Austin, TX $4,133
Shumen $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,912 in Shumen.

Austin, TX $5,603
Shumen $1,912

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 194% more expensive than in Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Shumen is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.24 BGN 16.07

124.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$33.55 BGN 58.4

152.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.87 BGN 15.44

38.90%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.73 BGN 3.01

225.43%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.48 BGN 2.58

151.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.00 BGN 1.75

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.92 BGN 5.08

175.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.83 BGN 4.93

218.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.81 BGN 3.15

-38.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.03 BGN 1.79

264.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.43 BGN 4.22

34.16%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.88 BGN 5.02

44.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.90 BGN 15.49

44.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.08 BGN 8.85

178.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.75 BGN 15.23

85.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.50 BGN 2.62

188.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.06 BGN 3.58

-29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.18 BGN 3.80

106.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.27 BGN 3.95

91.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.04 BGN 3.54

26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.31 BGN 2.28

79.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.83 BGN 1.44

114.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.75 BGN 1.30

196.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.68 BGN 6.41

168.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.18 BGN 12.50

110.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.95 BGN 1.66

207.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.40 BGN 2.44

147.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.94 BGN 1.64

58.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$25.92 BGN 45.10

60.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.75 BGN 3.04

56.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.48 BGN 0.84

245.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 BGN 2.64

-37.50%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

18.87%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

22.14%

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

$229 $229

$133 BGN 231

72.56%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.28 BGN 30.07

243.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$17.28 BGN 30.06

304.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$38.57 BGN 67.1

48.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.34 BGN 19.72

44.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.79 BGN 11.82

110.31%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$570 BGN 991

164.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.2K BGN 17.8K

109.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$48.34 BGN 84.1

9.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$51.3 BGN 89.2

-14.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$94.1 BGN 164

-9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$60.2 BGN 105

71.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$262 BGN 455

628.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$176 BGN 306

624.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$430 BGN 748

752.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$326 BGN 567

678.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,263 BGN 2,197

502.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$986 BGN 1,716

220.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,004 BGN 1,747

410.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.25

108.92%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Shumen

$176 19.4% 86.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Shumen

$211 23.3% 47.9% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Shumen

$167 18.5% 53.3% $191

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Shumen

$151 16.7% 57.2% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Shumen

$114 12.6% 10.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Shumen

$52 5.8% 39.2% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 42.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $262 in Shumen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 410% 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 Shumen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $211 per month, with Shumen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

85,504

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

BGN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Shumen 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Shumen

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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shumen wins on cost – living expenses run 194% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shumen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 410% 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 $262 in Shumen. 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 $906 in Shumen – a 194% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shumen runs roughly 61% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $906 in Shumen versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shumen but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Shumen 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 Shumen 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 Shumen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 194% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.