Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Skien: $2,336 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
Learn more

Skien Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,336 in Skien.

Austin, TX $2,663
Skien $2,336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,267 in Skien.

Austin, TX $4,133
Skien $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,197 in Skien.

Austin, TX $5,603
Skien $4,197

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 14% more expensive than in Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Skien 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$21.21 NOK 200

-2.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$103 NOK 971

-17.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$15.47 NOK 146

-20.36%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.11 NOK 48.11

10.18%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-14.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-15.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$11.89 NOK 112

-32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$12.33 NOK 116

-26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.11 NOK 19.84

-46.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-4.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-28.67%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-26.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.16 NOK 124

-1.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$15.17 NOK 143

-6.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$21.79 NOK 205

-25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.35 NOK 31.49

29.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.70 NOK 25.42

-45.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.49 NOK 32.86

29.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-27.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.24 NOK 21.04

15.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.78 NOK 26.12

-15.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-41.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$19.02 NOK 179

-48.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$15.76 NOK 148

-4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.35 NOK 31.58

-12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-20.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.26 NOK 30.64

-54.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$47.91 NOK 451

-12.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$11.13 NOK 105

-75.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.81 NOK 17.02

-8.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$70.8 NOK 667

-50.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.27 NOK 21.39

-58.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

-24.13%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-37.56%

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

$229 $229

$93.9 NOK 884

143.97%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$33.89 NOK 319

75.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$53.6 NOK 504

30.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$43.10 NOK 406

32.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.29 NOK 144

-6.61%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$239 NOK 2,247

530.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

36.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$63.7 NOK 600

-17.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$60.4 NOK 568

-27.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$87.9 NOK 827

-3.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$153 NOK 1,442

-32.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,042 NOK 9,811

82.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$975 NOK 9,183

30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,035 NOK 9,746

253.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$939 NOK 8,841

170.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

124.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

0.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

20.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.37

55.38%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Skien

$975 41.8% 23.4% $299

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Skien

$470 20.1% 16.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Skien

$181 7.8% 49.4% $177

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Skien

$391 16.7% 10.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Skien

$164 7% 28.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Skien

$74 3.2% 14.1% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Skien

$81 3.5% 38.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,042 in Skien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 21% 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 $103 in Skien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $470 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

56,769

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Skien 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skien wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Skien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% 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 $1,042 in Skien. 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 $2,336 in Skien – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Skien runs roughly 15% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,336 in Skien versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Skien but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Skien 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 Skien 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 Skien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.