Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,698 a month against $3,334 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $3,334 in Staefa.

Austin, TX $2,698
Staefa $3,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $5,350 in Staefa.

Austin, TX $4,160
Staefa $5,350

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $7,365 in Staefa.

Austin, TX $5,622
Staefa $7,365

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 19% less than in Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Staefa 146% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$32.82 CHF 27.03

-37.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$121 CHF 99.3

-29.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$16.37 CHF 13.49

-26.27%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$6.22 CHF 5.12

-11.90%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$5.88 CHF 4.84

-35.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$5.00 CHF 4.12

-50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$8.26 CHF 6.80

-2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$8.41 CHF 6.93

5.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-50.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.45 CHF 2.84

7.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-10.61%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-48.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$26.91 CHF 22.17

-51.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$25.91 CHF 21.34

-45.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$55.2 CHF 45.46

-70.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.47 CHF 2.86

31.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.75 CHF 2.27

-46.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.58 CHF 2.95

31.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.48 CHF 3.69

-7.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.49 CHF 2.05

3.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.28 CHF 1.88

3.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.48 CHF 2.05

-28.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.29 CHF 1.06

65.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.79 CHF 8.88

-6.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.68 CHF 11.27

11.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.74 CHF 2.26

2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.21 CHF 2.64

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-64.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$100 CHF 82.5

-59.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$7.40 CHF 6.10

-62.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-66.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$87.0 CHF 71.7

-60.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-59.83%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-14.22%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

-32.21%

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

$223 $223

$236 CHF 194

-5.65%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$31.65 CHF 26.06

86.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$56.5 CHF 46.52

24.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$79.0 CHF 65.1

-26.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$44.96 CHF 37.03

-63.23%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$22.08 CHF 18.18

-35.42%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$2,812 CHF 2,316

-46.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$42.2K CHF 34.7K

-50.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$138 CHF 113

-62.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$59.9 CHF 49.37

-26.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$147 CHF 121

-40.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$171 CHF 141

-38.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,581 CHF 1,302

22.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,382 CHF 1,138

-4.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,894 CHF 2,383

26.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,779 CHF 2,289

-7.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$17.3K CHF 14.3K

-57.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

-77.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

1.72

294.77%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Staefa

$1.4K 41.4% 5% $65

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Staefa

$637 19.1% 56.9% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Staefa

$324 9.7% 8% $28

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Staefa

$488 14.6% 39.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Staefa

$232 7% 79.9% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Staefa

$123 3.7% 42.9% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Staefa

$149 4.5% 157% $91

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,581 in Staefa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $121 in Staefa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $637 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

18:51 6:51 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

11,567

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

CHF to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Staefa 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Staefa

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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Staefa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $5,002 in Staefa 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,581 in Staefa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $3,334 in Staefa – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 144% less than in Staefa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Staefa 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Staefa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.