Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $626 in Surinam.

Austin, TX $2,698
Surinam $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,049 in Surinam.

Austin, TX $4,160
Surinam $1,049

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,472 in Surinam.

Austin, TX $5,622
Surinam $1,472

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 331% more expensive than in Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Surinam is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$5.96 MUR 280

246.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$38.18 MUR 1,797

121.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$7.54 MUR 355

60.08%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.70 MUR 127

102.96%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.18 MUR 55.3

222.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.68 MUR 31.99

263.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.68 MUR 126

200.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.62 MUR 218

92.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.61 MUR 75.6

-31.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.72 MUR 33.80

416.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.10 MUR 51.8

206.36%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.65 MUR 125

63.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$5.31 MUR 250

147.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.18 MUR 291

128.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.05 MUR 520

47.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.81 MUR 132

61.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.66 MUR 125

-45.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.45 MUR 68.3

224.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.98 MUR 140

39.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.93 MUR 43.58

177.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.96 MUR 45.08

144.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.73 MUR 34.57

142.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.89 MUR 41.98

140.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.34 MUR 298

59.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$8.60 MUR 405

76.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.66 MUR 78.3

69.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.38 MUR 112

44.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$4.09 MUR 192

-31.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.22 MUR 151

-50.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$20.97 MUR 987

63.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.39 MUR 65.2

-32.37%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-8.06%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

-12.09%

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

$223 $223

$44.93 MUR 2,115

395.55%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$10.67 MUR 502

452.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$28.60 MUR 1,346

146.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.39 MUR 301

123.16%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$124 MUR 5,826

1120.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

174.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$78.6 MUR 3,702

-34.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$75.1 MUR 3,533

-41.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$120 MUR 5,633

-27.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$78.1 MUR 3,678

33.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.67

1.80%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Surinam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Surinam

$217 34.8% 46.4% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Surinam

$84 13.5% 76.1% $268

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Surinam

$133 21.2% 62.1% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Surinam

$158 25.3% 22.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Surinam

$13 * 2% 85.2% $73

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Surinam

$20 * 3.2% 65.2% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $38.00 in Surinam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $218 per month, with Surinam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇺 Surinam

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

9 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

10,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

MUR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Surinam 17,310 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surinam wins on cost – living expenses run 331% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Surinam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $938 in Surinam 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.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $124 in Surinam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surinam – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $626 in Surinam versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surinam but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Surinam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Surinam delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $626 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Surinam hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Surinam 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 Surinam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 331% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.