Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $1,012 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Targu Jiu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,012 in Targu Jiu.

Austin, TX $2,663
Targu Jiu $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,570 in Targu Jiu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Targu Jiu $1,570

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,128 in Targu Jiu.

Austin, TX $5,603
Targu Jiu $2,128

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 163% more expensive than in Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Targu Jiu is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$14.75 RON 69.8

40.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$56.2 RON 266

50.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.13 RON 33.74

72.79%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.59 RON 16.98

56.82%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.07 RON 5.06

247.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.24 RON 10.58

11.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.75 RON 17.75

114.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.19 RON 19.81

115.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.70 RON 8.05

-34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.30 RON 6.13

188.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.69 RON 8.01

92.90%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.79 RON 13.22

49.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.51 RON 35.54

71.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.01 RON 14.26

370.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.23 RON 34.22

124.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.99 RON 4.68

337.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.49 RON 7.06

-2.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.13 RON 5.36

299.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.29 RON 6.09

236.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.77 RON 3.64

235.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.78 RON 3.69

201.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.66 RON 3.11

169.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 RON 2.45

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.12 RON 24.25

92.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$2.99 RON 14.13

404.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.88 RON 4.15

231.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.04 RON 4.90

232.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.77 RON 3.66

93.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.85 RON 103

90.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.61 RON 2.86

347.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.62 RON 2.93

167.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.32 RON 29.92

458.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 RON 7.21

-37.50%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.3K RON 133.9K

27.38%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.6K RON 125.9K

1.73%

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

$229 $229

$195 RON 924

17.22%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.03 RON 28.53

884.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$9.08 RON 42.98

669.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$37.69 RON 178

51.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$20.62 RON 97.6

-20.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.53 RON 40.36

67.41%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$630 RON 2,978

139.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,998 RON 33.1K

206.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$50.7 RON 240

4.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$25.22 RON 119

73.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$53.2 RON 252

59.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$85.6 RON 405

20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$346 RON 1,636

451.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$242 RON 1,143

427.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$479 RON 2,266

665.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$401 RON 1,898

532.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,868 RON 8,838

307.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,364 RON 6,454

131.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$518 RON 2,452

888.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.74

0.74%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Targu Jiu

$242 23.9% 81% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Targu Jiu

$157 15.5% 61.1% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Targu Jiu

$210 20.8% 41.3% $148

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Targu Jiu

$223 22% 37% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Targu Jiu

$97 9.6% 24.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Targu Jiu

$55 5.4% 36.2% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Targu Jiu

$29 2.8% 51.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $346 in Targu Jiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 888% 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 $56.0 in Targu Jiu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $157 per month, with Targu Jiu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

82,504

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Targu Jiu 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Targu Jiu

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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Jiu wins on cost – living expenses run 163% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Targu Jiu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 888% 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 $346 in Targu Jiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,012 in Targu Jiu – a 163% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Targu Jiu runs roughly 91% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,012 in Targu Jiu versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Targu Jiu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Jiu 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.

Expats usually find Targu Jiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 163% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.