Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surfers Paradise outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Surfers Paradise

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,824 in Surfers Paradise.

Austin, TX $2,663
Surfers Paradise $2,824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,398 in Surfers Paradise.

Austin, TX $4,133
Surfers Paradise $4,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $5,973 in Surfers Paradise.

Austin, TX $5,603
Surfers Paradise $5,973

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 6% less than in Surfers Paradise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Surfers Paradise 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.36 A$24.87

19.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$105 A$150

-19.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.85 A$15.55

13.55%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.10 A$5.87

37.32%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.81 A$4.03

32.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.40 A$3.44

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.86 A$11.26

2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.87 A$11.27

14.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.66 A$2.38

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.70 A$3.87

38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.41 A$3.45

35.27%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.90 A$7.02

-14.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.68 A$12.43

48.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.09 A$13.01

55.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.47 A$20.73

12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.92 A$5.62

10.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.08 A$4.41

-52.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.37 A$4.83

33.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.84 A$6.93

-10.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.82 A$4.04

-8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.44 A$3.49

-3.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.39 A$3.43

-25.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.07 A$2.97

7.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$37.58 A$53.8

-73.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.26 A$20.43

5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$5.97 A$8.55

-51.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$5.12 A$7.33

-32.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.34 A$0.49

338.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.10 A$3.01

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.62 A$2.32

2.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$35.24 A$50.5

0.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.30 A$1.86

-26.92%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.0K A$38.7K

33.37%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$28.3K A$40.6K

-4.50%

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

$229 $229

$212 A$304

7.88%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$29.92 A$42.87

98.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$55.4 A$79.4

26.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$66.1 A$94.6

-13.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.45 A$20.70

13.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$17.42 A$24.95

-18.03%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,944 A$2,785

-22.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.4K A$17.7K

73.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$83.1 A$119

-36.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.1 A$78.9

-20.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$111 A$159

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$121 A$174

-15.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,912 A$2,739

-0.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,570 A$2,250

-18.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$3,770 A$5,400

-2.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$3,067 A$4,393

-17.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,895 A$8,444

29.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,954 A$7,096

-36.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,288 A$4,710

55.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.81

16.87%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6% 23.3% $296

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5% 6.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5% 16.9% $61

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5% 16.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 30.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6% 17.6% $15

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 80.3% $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 $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $105 in Surfers Paradise. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $380, with Surfers Paradise cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

15 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

19,668

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Surfers Paradise 13,220 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Surfers Paradise. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 56% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $1,944 in Surfers Paradise. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $105 in Surfers Paradise. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Surfers Paradise 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 6% less than in Surfers Paradise. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.