Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sighisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighisoara: $935 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sighisoara
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Sighisoara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Sighisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $935 in Sighisoara.

Austin, TX $2,698
Sighisoara $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,507 in Sighisoara.

Austin, TX $4,160
Sighisoara $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,079 in Sighisoara.

Austin, TX $5,622
Sighisoara $2,079

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 189% more expensive than in Sighisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Sighisoara is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$10.56 RON 49.97

95.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$37.09 RON 176

128.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$8.36 RON 39.54

44.38%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.14 RON 10.14

156.07%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.09 RON 9.87

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.32 RON 10.97

6.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.17 RON 10.27

270.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.79 RON 13.22

218.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.50 RON 7.08

-26.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.18 RON 5.57

215.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.43 RON 6.75

135.66%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.51 RON 16.59

23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.33 RON 34.69

79.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$7.32 RON 34.66

93.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.43 RON 35.16

119.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.03 RON 4.86

341.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 RON 7.80

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.83 RON 8.66

157.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.43 RON 11.50

70.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 RON 3.45

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.95 RON 4.50

147.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.00 RON 4.71

77.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.01 RON 4.79

111.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.16 RON 24.43

95.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.50 RON 35.47

102.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.27 RON 6.00

122.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.68 RON 7.95

104.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.65 RON 3.07

136.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.81 RON 3.83

245.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.99 RON 4.66

61.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$8.62 RON 40.77

298.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.73 RON 8.17

-45.66%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$28.2K RON 133.4K

20.52%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$24.3K RON 115.0K

10.15%

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

$223 $223

$59.0 RON 279

277.12%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$8.38 RON 39.64

602.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$8.35 RON 39.53

745.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$51.7 RON 245

11.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$9.69 RON 45.85

47.16%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$585 RON 2,767

158.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$9,663 RON 45.7K

116.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$87.8 RON 415

-41.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$47.36 RON 224

-6.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$98.9 RON 468

-12.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$108 RON 511

-3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$319 RON 1,510

507.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$249 RON 1,179

428.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$535 RON 2,530

585.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$489 RON 2,316

424.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,554 RON 7,355

373.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,059 RON 5,010

195.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$595 RON 2,817

787.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.65

2.11%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sighisoara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Sighisoara

$249 26.7% 81.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Sighisoara

$207 22.1% 49.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Sighisoara

$76 8.1% 78.5% $276

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Sighisoara

$169 18.1% 51.6% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Sighisoara

$154 16.5% 19.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Sighisoara

$71 7.6% 17.5% $15

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Sighisoara

$8.3 * 0.9% 85.6% $50

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 $319 in Sighisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 788% 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 $37.00 in Sighisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $207 per month, with Sighisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Sighisoara

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

32,570

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Sighisoara 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sighisoara

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 Sighisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sighisoara wins on cost – living expenses run 189% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sighisoara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 788% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $319 in Sighisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $585 in Sighisoara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sighisoara – 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 $935 in Sighisoara versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sighisoara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.