Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $1,022 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,022 in St Francis Bay.

Austin, TX $2,663
St Francis Bay $1,022

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,650 in St Francis Bay.

Austin, TX $4,133
St Francis Bay $1,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,278 in St Francis Bay.

Austin, TX $5,603
St Francis Bay $2,278

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 161% more expensive than in St Francis Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, St Francis Bay is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.85 R 179

91.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$42.05 R 693

101.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$3.65 R 60.2

237.53%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.14 R 35.18

163.08%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.02 R 16.76

264.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.73 R 11.98

242.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.13 R 35.13

277.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.84 R 30.36

389.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.86 R 14.25

30.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.01 R 16.58

271.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.43 R 23.56

127.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.66 R 43.89

56.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.39 R 122

74.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.33 R 87.9

165.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.26 R 136

96.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.08 R 34.25

108.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.46 R 24.04

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.67 R 27.59

170.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.79 R 29.48

142.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.65 R 27.26

56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.38 R 22.70

70.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.22 R 20.15

45.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.98 R 16.17

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.18 R 52.4

210.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.80 R 79.1

214.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.26 R 20.73

131.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.73 R 28.44

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.48 R 24.34

0.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.57 R 9.45

378.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.49 R 8.13

238.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.19 R 135

331.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.36 R 22.46

-30.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$20.3K R 334.8K

77.41%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.7K R 554.7K

-19.58%

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

$229 $229

$60.0 R 988

281.78%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$34.08 R 562

74.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$41.40 R 682

68.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.46 R 518

81.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.79 R 178

51.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.04 R 149

57.96%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$180 R 2,961

737.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,149 R 101.3K

248.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.5 R 1,178

-26.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.62 R 620

16.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$110 R 1,812

-22.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$97.9 R 1,613

5.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$398 R 6,561

378.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$353 R 5,823

260.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$716 R 11.8K

411.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$715 R 11.8K

255.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$870 R 14.3K

774.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$665 R 11.0K

374.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.94

-43.13%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

St Francis Bay

$353 34.6% 72.3% $921

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

St Francis Bay

$187 18.3% 53.7% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

St Francis Bay

$135 13.3% 62.2% $223

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

St Francis Bay

$145 14.2% 59.1% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

St Francis Bay

$143 14% 11.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

St Francis Bay

$50 4.9% 42.3% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

St Francis Bay

$9 * 0.9% 84.8% $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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $398 in St Francis Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $42.00 in St Francis Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $187 per month, with St Francis Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

13:06 1:06 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

5,910

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX St Francis Bay 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St Francis Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making St Francis Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,533 in St Francis Bay 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $398 in St Francis Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $180 in St Francis Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in St Francis Bay – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,022 in St Francis Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in St Francis Bay but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes St Francis Bay 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 St Francis Bay 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 St Francis Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.