Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,182 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,182

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Austin, TX is 69% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 128.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Austin, TX is 74.6% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 120.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.64 R 176

90.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$41.40 R 683

105.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.60 R 92.4

120.54%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.28 R 37.63

139.91%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.16 R 19.17

229.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.92 R 15.22

171.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.45 R 40.40

228.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.95 R 48.69

204.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.19 R 19.63

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.12 R 18.42

237.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.79 R 29.58

81.56%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.48 R 40.88

66.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.08 R 133

61.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.13 R 84.7

178.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$7.81 R 129

104.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.87 R 30.78

134.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.66 R 27.42

-12.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.77 R 29.15

156.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.80 R 29.67

132.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.49 R 24.53

76.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.50 R 24.71

57.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.28 R 21.16

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.09 R 17.97

98.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.22 R 53.2

204.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$4.93 R 81.3

198.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.48 R 24.47

87.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.01 R 33.09

73.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.60 R 26.39

-6.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$60.7 R 1,001

-33.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.09 R 17.98

144.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.98 R 16.23

61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.42 R 122

375.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.49 R 24.63

-33.56%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$35.0K R 578.2K

2.16%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$31.6K R 521.1K

-13.96%

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

$219 $219

$131 R 2,168

66.85%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$34.71 R 573

67.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$39.94 R 659

71.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$33.88 R 559

70.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$11.39 R 188

30.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.31 R 121

93.30%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$225 R 3,715

570.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,485 R 90.5K

291.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$52.0 R 858

-0.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$33.30 R 549

32.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$99.4 R 1,640

-14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$87.4 R 1,441

20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$480 R 7,918

302.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$406 R 6,692

213.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$935 R 15.4K

292.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$796 R 13.1K

217.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,111 R 18.3K

585.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$777 R 12.8K

311.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,476 R 24.4K

245.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.23

-39.54%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

South Africa

$406 33.6% 68.1% $867

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

South Africa

$196 16.2% 51.4% $207

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

South Africa

$156 12.9% 55.2% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

South Africa

$206 17.1% 40.4% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

South Africa

$122 10.1% 4.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

South Africa

$49 4% 43.7% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

South Africa

$73 6.1% 28.2% $16

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

11:50 11:50 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

62,027,503

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX South Africa 14,660 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
South Africa

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Paris

🇫🇷 France

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden