Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,153 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,153 in Side.

Austin, TX $2,698
Side $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,793 in Side.

Austin, TX $4,160
Side $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,432 in Side.

Austin, TX $5,622
Side $2,432

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 134% more expensive than in Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Side is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$10.25 ₺507

101.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.35 ₺1,502

178.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$9.86 ₺488

22.41%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.63 ₺179

50.96%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.20 ₺109

72.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.39 ₺19.35

533.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.10 ₺203

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$5.92 ₺293

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.05 ₺52.2

5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.96 ₺47.29

287.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.62 ₺130

28.63%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.22 ₺110

94.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.36 ₺661

-1.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.05 ₺299

133.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$26.37 ₺1,305

-38.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.54 ₺76.1

195.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.39 ₺118

-38.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.44 ₺71.4

227.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.23 ₺60.8

237.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.78 ₺38.78

230.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.75 ₺36.99

213.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.81 ₺89.7

-2.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.76 ₺37.73

181.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.80 ₺138

260.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.96 ₺691

8.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.76 ₺87.1

60.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.13 ₺155

9.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.63 ₺31.41

144.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.23 ₺61.0

127.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.03 ₺51.1

55.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.88 ₺341

399.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.53 ₺75.9

-38.56%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-19.05%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.0K ₺1.9M

-29.54%

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

$223 $223

$76.1 ₺3,765

192.77%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$10.50 ₺520

460.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$23.39 ₺1,158

201.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$57.1 ₺2,826

1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$7.93 ₺393

79.82%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$499 ₺24.7K

202.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$9,527 ₺471.7K

119.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$44.49 ₺2,203

15.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$59.1 ₺2,926

-25.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$154 ₺7,612

-43.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$121 ₺5,967

-13.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$478 ₺23.6K

306.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$308 ₺15.2K

327.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$763 ₺37.8K

380.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$562 ₺27.8K

356.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,548 ₺76.7K

375.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$913 ₺45.2K

242.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

38.25

-82.25%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Side: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Side

$308 26.7% 76.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Side

$286 24.8% 29.6% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Side

$110 9.5% 68.8% $242

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Side

$198 17.2% 43.5% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Side

$170 14.7% 31.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Side

$73 6.3% 15.4% $13

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Side

$8.9 * 0.8% 84.6% $49

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 $478 in Side. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $30.00 in Side for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $286 per month, with Side cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

00:56 12:56 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

12,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

TRY to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Side 10,870 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Side wins on cost – living expenses run 134% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Side the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,730 in Side 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 $478 in Side. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $499 in Side. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Side – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,153 in Side versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Side but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Side 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 Side 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 Side gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.