Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Skovde: $1,791 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,698
/mo nomad
Skovde
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,791
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,791 in Skovde.

  • Austin, TX $2,698
  • Skovde $1,791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,796 in Skovde.

  • Austin, TX $4,160
  • Skovde $2,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $3,801 in Skovde.

  • Austin, TX $5,622
  • Skovde $3,801

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 51% more expensive than in Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Skovde 32% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.63 $20.63
$13.15 SEK 130
56.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.6 $84.6
$82.2 SEK 814
2.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.07 $12.07
$10.25 SEK 102
17.76%
Cappuccino
$5.48 $5.48
$4.14 SEK 41.06
32.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 $3.80
$3.04 SEK 30.12
25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$2.33 SEK 23.09
6.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.05 $8.05
$8.12 SEK 80.5
-0.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.88 $8.88
$10.05 SEK 99.6
-11.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 $1.11
$1.40 SEK 13.84
-20.71%
White Bread (500g)
$3.72 $3.72
$2.86 SEK 28.30
30.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.37 $3.37
$4.59 SEK 45.50
-26.58%
Eggs
$4.32 $4.32
$3.58 SEK 35.49
20.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.13 $13.13
$10.08 SEK 99.9
30.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.15 $14.15
$12.86 SEK 127
10.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.33 $16.33
$17.98 SEK 178
-9.18%
Apples (1kg)
$4.55 $4.55
$4.13 SEK 40.94
10.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 $1.46
$2.67 SEK 26.48
-45.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.71 $4.71
$3.66 SEK 36.23
28.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.15 $4.15
$5.17 SEK 51.2
-19.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.58 $2.58
$1.52 SEK 15.10
69.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.76 SEK 17.44
33.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.77 $1.77
$2.66 SEK 26.36
-33.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.14 $2.14
$1.33 SEK 13.17
60.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.10 $10.10
$8.00 SEK 79.3
26.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.19 $15.19
$8.20 SEK 81.2
85.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.82 $2.82
$2.42 SEK 23.95
16.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 $3.44
$2.62 SEK 25.93
31.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.54 $1.54
$3.61 SEK 35.73
-57.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.99 $40.99
$84.5 SEK 838
-51.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.80 $2.80
$5.55 SEK 55.0
-49.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 $1.60
$1.29 SEK 12.76
24.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.34 $34.34
$62.5 SEK 620
-45.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 $0.94
$1.77 SEK 17.54
-46.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K $34.0K
$33.1K SEK 327.9K
2.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K $26.8K
$33.6K SEK 332.6K
-20.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$223 $223
$113 SEK 1,122
96.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.9 $58.9
$11.00 SEK 109
435.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.6 $70.6
$47.37 SEK 469
49.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 $57.7
$38.41 SEK 381
50.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.53 $16.53
$27.31 SEK 271
-39.47%
Cinema Ticket
$14.26 $14.26
$18.25 SEK 181
-21.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,511 $1,511
$129 SEK 1,274
1074.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.9K $20.9K
$4,654 SEK 46.1K
348.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.3 $51.3
$107 SEK 1,065
-52.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.17 $44.17
$30.76 SEK 305
43.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.0 $87.0
$61.6 SEK 611
41.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 $104
$205 SEK 2,032
-49.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,940 $1,940
$793 SEK 7,853
144.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,316 $1,316
$615 SEK 6,089
114.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,664 $3,664
$1,336 SEK 13.2K
174.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,565 $2,565
$1,014 SEK 10.0K
152.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,354 $7,354
$4,079 SEK 40.4K
80.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,129 $3,129
$2,821 SEK 28.0K
10.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Austin, TX
Skovde
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,286 $5,286
$3,350 SEK 33.2K
57.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
3
126.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
$1.3K
Skovde
$615 53.3% $702
Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
$406
Skovde
$369 9% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
$352
Skovde
$172 51.3% $181
Eating Out
Austin, TX
$350
Skovde
$268 23.5% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
$129
Skovde
$182 41.2% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
$86
Skovde
$75 13.1% $11
Getting Around
Austin, TX
$58
Skovde
$111 91.6% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $793 in Skovde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 58% 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 $82.0 in Skovde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $369 per month, with Skovde cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🇸🇪 Skovde
🕒 Local time
14:12 2:12 PM
21:12 9:12 PM
7 h ahead of Austin, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
974,447
34,466
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Austin, TX Skovde 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Austin, TX
  • Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Austin, TX or Skovde?
Skovde wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Skovde the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Austin, TX or in Skovde?
Average pay runs 58% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Austin, TX compared to Skovde?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $793 in Skovde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Austin, TX compared to Skovde?
All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,791 in Skovde – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Austin, TX compared to Skovde?
A monthly transit pass in Skovde runs roughly 106% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Austin, TX or in Skovde?
At $1,791 in Skovde versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Skovde but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Skovde the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Austin, TX or Skovde?
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.
How safe is Austin, TX compared to Skovde?
Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Skovde are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Skovde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Austin, TX vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?