Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sun City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,255 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Sun City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,255 in Sun City.

Austin, TX $2,663
Sun City $1,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,930 in Sun City.

Austin, TX $4,133
Sun City $1,930

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,606 in Sun City.

Austin, TX $5,603
Sun City $2,606

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 112% more expensive than in Sun City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Sun City is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$11.94 R 197

73.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$43.53 R 717

94.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.40 R 122

66.49%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.46 R 40.54

128.86%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.23 R 20.26

202.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.93 R 15.34

168.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.20 R 36.18

265.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.77 R 45.61

225.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.35 R 22.30

-17.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.28 R 21.14

192.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.77 R 29.18

84.18%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.63 R 43.27

58.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.41 R 139

53.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.65 R 93.1

150.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.48 R 140

91.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.10 R 34.58

106.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.88 R 30.91

-22.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.77 R 29.21

154.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.12 R 34.93

104.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.67 R 27.45

54.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.83 R 30.09

28.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.49 R 24.55

19.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.32 R 21.70

68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.38 R 55.8

192.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.09 R 100

147.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.89 R 31.11

54.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.40 R 39.52

44.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.49 R 24.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.82 R 13.44

232.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.91 R 15.01

82.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$14.50 R 239

143.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.49 R 24.59

-36.24%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.2K R 579.9K

2.41%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$31.5K R 519.7K

-14.17%

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

$229 $229

$233 R 3,832

-1.56%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$38.09 R 628

55.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$36.25 R 597

92.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$32.16 R 530

77.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.57 R 174

54.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.69 R 127

85.70%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$246 R 4,052

512.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,459 R 89.9K

293.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$58.1 R 957

-9.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$46.31 R 763

-5.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$107 R 1,766

-20.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$107 R 1,757

-3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$395 R 6,502

383.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$354 R 5,834

259.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$737 R 12.1K

397.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$737 R 12.1K

244.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$890 R 14.7K

755.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$658 R 10.8K

380.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.91

-37.76%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sun City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Sun City

$354 28.2% 72.2% $920

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Sun City

$219 17.5% 45.8% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Sun City

$307 24.5% 14.3% $51

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Sun City

$172 13.7% 51.3% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Sun City

$143 11.4% 11.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Sun City

$48 3.8% 44.6% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Sun City

$11 * 0.9% 80.7% $47

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 $395 in Sun City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $44.00 in Sun City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $219 per month, with Sun City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

17:58 5:58 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,556

💱 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 Sun City 14,610 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sun City

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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sun City wins on cost – living expenses run 112% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sun City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,882 in Sun City 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 $395 in Sun City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $246 in Sun City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sun City – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,255 in Sun City versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sun City but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sun City 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 Sun City 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 Sun City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.