Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Suwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Suwon: $1,363 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Suwon
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Suwon Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,363 in Suwon.

Austin, TX $2,698
Suwon $1,363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,148 in Suwon.

Austin, TX $4,160
Suwon $2,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,933 in Suwon.

Austin, TX $5,622
Suwon $2,933

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 98% more expensive than in Suwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Suwon 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$5.96 ₩7,921

246.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.15 ₩40.1K

180.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$7.57 ₩10.1K

59.45%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.39 ₩4,512

61.65%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.60 ₩2,126

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.63 ₩836

292.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.86 ₩5,129

108.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.77 ₩6,336

86.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.65 ₩3,528

-58.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.67 ₩3,546

39.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.40 ₩4,517

-0.88%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.15 ₩4,184

37.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$11.04 ₩14.7K

18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$11.50 ₩15.3K

23.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.06 ₩14.7K

47.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$6.28 ₩8,355

-27.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.95 ₩3,916

-50.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$5.29 ₩7,030

-10.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.44 ₩5,910

-6.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.45 ₩4,590

-25.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.64 ₩3,516

-10.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$4.86 ₩6,458

-63.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.30 ₩1,726

64.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.78 ₩5,029

167.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.86 ₩18.4K

9.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.53 ₩3,369

11.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.71 ₩4,939

-7.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.21 ₩1,603

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$47.15 ₩62.7K

-13.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.81 ₩3,739

-0.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.66 ₩882

142.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$8.80 ₩11.7K

290.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.40 ₩1,856

-32.86%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$28.4K ₩37.7M

19.78%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.5K ₩33.9M

5.09%

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

$223 $223

$185 ₩246.1K

20.27%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$17.99 ₩23.9K

227.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$17.72 ₩23.6K

298.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$44.21 ₩58.8K

30.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$11.73 ₩15.6K

40.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.21 ₩14.9K

27.21%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$696 ₩925.0K

117.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$18.0K ₩24.0M

15.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$36.84 ₩49.0K

39.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$106 ₩140.4K

-58.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$73.8 ₩98.1K

17.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$59.2 ₩78.7K

76.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$433 ₩575.7K

348.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$351 ₩466.4K

275.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,164 ₩1.5M

214.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$813 ₩1.1M

215.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$12.7K ₩16.8M

-41.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$7,005 ₩9.3M

-55.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$2,576 ₩3.4M

105.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.5

4.46%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Suwon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Suwon

$351 25.7% 73.3% $966

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Suwon

$394 28.9% 2.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Suwon

$221 16.2% 37.3% $131

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Suwon

$149 10.9% 57.5% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Suwon

$124 9.1% 4% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Suwon

$67 4.9% 22.7% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Suwon

$58 4.3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $433 in Suwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 105% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $30.00 in Suwon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $394 per month, with Suwon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇷 Suwon

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

03:26 3:26 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,203,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

KRW to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Suwon 11,180 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Suwon

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 Suwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suwon wins on cost – living expenses run 98% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suwon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 105% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $433 in Suwon. 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 $1,363 in Suwon – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Suwon runs roughly 15% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,363 in Suwon versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suwon but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Suwon 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 Suwon 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 Suwon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.