Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Thanjavur

For one person, living is cheaper in Thanjavur: $365 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,663
/mo nomad
Thanjavur
🇮🇳 India
$365
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $365 in Thanjavur.

  • Austin, TX $2,663
  • Thanjavur $365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $571 in Thanjavur.

  • Austin, TX $4,133
  • Thanjavur $571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $777 in Thanjavur.

  • Austin, TX $5,603
  • Thanjavur $777

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 629% more expensive than in Thanjavur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Thanjavur is 73% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.77 $20.77
$1.93 ₹184
976.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.6 $84.6
$6.43 ₹610
1215.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.32 $12.32
$4.23 ₹402
191.25%
Cappuccino
$5.63 $5.63
$1.85 ₹176
204.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 $3.72
$0.34 ₹32.02
994.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.15 ₹13.81
1566.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.05 $8.05
$0.76 ₹72.2
959.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.01 $9.01
$3.21 ₹305
180.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$0.60 ₹56.7
86.67%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 $3.75
$0.53 ₹50.4
607.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.26 $3.26
$0.61 ₹58.1
434.43%
Eggs
$4.17 $4.17
$0.64 ₹60.8
551.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.90 $12.90
$5.86 ₹557
120.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.16 $14.16
$2.15 ₹204
558.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.22 $16.22
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$2.84 ₹270
52.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 $1.46
$0.81 ₹77.3
80.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$1.45 ₹137
211.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 $4.34
$0.43 ₹40.46
909.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.58 $2.58
$0.44 ₹41.92
486.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$0.40 ₹37.96
487.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$0.49 ₹46.63
263.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 $2.22
$0.28 ₹26.57
692.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.88 $9.88
$3.41 ₹323
189.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.08 $15.08
$7.29 ₹692
106.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.92 $2.92
$1.33 ₹126
119.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$2.70 ₹256
28.15%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.50 ₹617
-
🚌 Getting Around
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 $1.49
$0.24 ₹22.90
520.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.72 $41.72
$7.39 ₹702
464.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.73 $2.73
$1.07 ₹101
155.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 $1.66
$0.29 ₹27.97
472.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.30 $35.30
$2.06 ₹196
1613.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$1.10 ₹105
-13.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K $36.0K
$15.5K ₹1.5M
132.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K $27.1K
$20.2K ₹1.9M
34.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$229 $229
$38.68 ₹3,673
492.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.4 $59.4
$3.95 ₹375
1403.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.9 $69.9
$7.81 ₹742
795.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 $57.2
$13.72 ₹1,303
317.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 $16.33
$6.47 ₹614
152.40%
Cinema Ticket
$14.28 $14.28
$2.49 ₹236
473.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,506 $1,506
$88.5 ₹8,408
1600.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K $21.5K
$2,118 ₹201.1K
913.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.8 $52.8
$20.66 ₹1,962
155.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.82 $43.82
$16.59 ₹1,576
164.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.8 $84.8
$35.16 ₹3,339
141.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$26.18 ₹2,486
293.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,907 $1,907
$121 ₹11.5K
1473.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,274 $1,274
$72.7 ₹6,902
1653.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,664 $3,664
$260 ₹24.7K
1309.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,538 $2,538
$173 ₹16.4K
1367.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,614 $7,614
$1,044 ₹99.2K
629.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,157 $3,157
$556 ₹52.8K
468.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Austin, TX
Thanjavur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,121 $5,121
$207 ₹19.7K
2372.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
9.99
-32.03%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Thanjavur: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
$1.3K
Thanjavur
$73 94.3% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
$405
Thanjavur
$106 73.9% $299
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
$358
Thanjavur
$50 85.9% $308
Eating Out
Austin, TX
$354
Thanjavur
$63 82.3% $291
Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
$128
Thanjavur
$44 65.3% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
$86
Thanjavur
$19 78.2% $67
Getting Around
Austin, TX
$59
Thanjavur
$11 81.4% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $121 in Thanjavur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2373% 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 $6.00 in Thanjavur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $106 per month, with Thanjavur cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🇮🇳 Thanjavur
🕒 Local time
17:22 5:22 PM
03:52 3:52 AM
10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
974,447
223,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Austin, TX Thanjavur 15,440 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Austin, TX
  • Thanjavur

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 Thanjavur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Austin, TX or Thanjavur?
Thanjavur wins on cost – living expenses run 629% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Thanjavur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Austin, TX or in Thanjavur?
Average pay runs 2373% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Austin, TX compared to Thanjavur?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $121 in Thanjavur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Austin, TX compared to Thanjavur?
All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $365 in Thanjavur – a 629% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Austin, TX compared to Thanjavur?
A monthly transit pass in Thanjavur runs roughly 465% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Austin, TX or in Thanjavur?
At $365 in Thanjavur versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thanjavur but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Thanjavur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Austin, TX or Thanjavur?
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.
How safe is Austin, TX compared to Thanjavur?
Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Thanjavur are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Thanjavur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 629% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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