Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $738 in Tema.

Austin, TX $2,704
Tema $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,173 in Tema.

Austin, TX $4,133
Tema $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,608 in Tema.

Austin, TX $5,562
Tema $1,608

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 266% more expensive than in Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Tema is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.03 GHS 82.4

187.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$27.88 GHS 327

204.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$5.05 GHS 59.2

8.32%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.90 GHS 10.56

324.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.30 GHS 3.55

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.29 GHS 38.60

144.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.61 GHS 30.61

244.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$3.16 GHS 37.11

-64.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.60 GHS 18.81

136.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.07 GHS 24.29

57.00%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.30 GHS 27.02

80.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$4.38 GHS 51.4

198.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.17 GHS 37.14

351.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$3.38 GHS 39.66

372.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.61 GHS 30.66

67.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.13 GHS 25.02

-31.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.21 GHS 25.97

105.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.49 GHS 40.95

20.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.40 GHS 39.91

-22.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.82 GHS 33.06

-16.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.45 GHS 5.25

291.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.67 GHS 7.84

222.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.26 GHS 14.83

678.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.54 GHS 100

72.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.10 GHS 24.59

32.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.96 GHS 34.74

17.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.68 GHS 19.70

-11.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$41.17 GHS 483

-1.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.10 GHS 24.69

27.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.41 GHS 4.82

285.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.19 GHS 13.96

-16.81%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

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

$27.2K $27.2K

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

$219 $219

$78.2 GHS 917

180.47%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$15.22 GHS 179

281.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$82.5 GHS 968

-17.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$24.06 GHS 282

140.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.80 GHS 103

60.57%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$174 GHS 2,046

765.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,544 GHS 29.8K

743.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$13.07 GHS 153

295.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$15.40 GHS 181

186.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$42.37 GHS 497

100.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$32.20 GHS 378

227.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$126 GHS 1,483

1428.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$71.3 GHS 836

1684.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$426 GHS 4,999

761.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$209 GHS 2,451

1108.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$9,909 GHS 116.2K

-23.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$5,903 GHS 69.2K

-45.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$419 GHS 4,913

1118.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-80.60%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Tema

$71 9.6% 94.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Tema

$216 28.9% 46.5% $187

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Tema

$143 * 19.2% 58.8% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Tema

$176 23.6% 49.1% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Tema

$46 6.2% 64% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Tema

$42 5.6% 51.7% $45

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Tema

$52 7% 8.7% $5

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $126 in Tema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1119% 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 $28.00 in Tema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $216 per month, with Tema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

160,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

GHS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Tema 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tema wins on cost – living expenses run 266% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tema the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1119% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $126 in Tema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $738 in Tema – a 266% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tema runs roughly 2% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $738 in Tema versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tema but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tema 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 Tema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 266% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.