Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $518 in Thika.

Austin, TX $2,698
Thika $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $883 in Thika.

Austin, TX $4,160
Thika $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,249 in Thika.

Austin, TX $5,622
Thika $1,249

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 421% more expensive than in Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Thika is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$3.52 KES 457

486.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$34.21 KES 4,435

147.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$6.43 KES 834

87.71%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$1.95 KES 253

181.03%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.33 KES 42.15

1051.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.61 KES 78.8

304.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.87 KES 243

330.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.06 KES 267

331.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.73 KES 95.1

52.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.44 KES 56.8

745.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.16 KES 150

190.52%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.35 KES 175

220.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.81 KES 1,402

21.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.58 KES 853

115.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$4.12 KES 534

296.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.57 KES 204

189.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.64 KES 82.5

128.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$0.80 KES 104

488.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.10 KES 143

277.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.41 KES 52.9

529.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.44 KES 56.8

434.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.69 KES 89.5

156.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.37 KES 48.31

478.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.71 KES 352

272.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.71 KES 740

166.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.78 KES 230

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.90 KES 246

81.05%

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

$1.56 KES 202

79.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.96 KES 125

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$2.82 KES 366

1117.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.41 KES 183

-33.33%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$21.7K KES 2.8M

56.86%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$20.0K KES 2.6M

33.88%

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

$223 $223

$34.37 KES 4,456

547.80%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$14.94 KES 1,936

294.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$35.20 KES 4,564

100.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$46.96 KES 6,088

22.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$7.63 KES 990

86.89%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$53.7 KES 6,956

2716.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$3,537 KES 458.6K

490.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$27.81 KES 3,605

84.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$29.36 KES 3,806

50.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$69.9 KES 9,061

24.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$19.37 KES 2,512

438.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$98.7 KES 12.8K

1865.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$57.5 KES 7,450

2190.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$273 KES 35.3K

1244.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$178 KES 23.0K

1345.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$610 KES 79.1K

1104.79%

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

14.71

-53.84%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Thika

$57 11.1% 95.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Thika

$153 29.6% 62.2% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Thika

$85 16.3% 76% $268

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Thika

$88 17% 74.8% $262

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Thika

$66 12.7% 48.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Thika

$62 12% 27.8% $24

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Thika

$6.4 * 1.2% 89% $52

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $98.7 in Thika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $34.00 in Thika for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $153 per month, with Thika cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

03:45 3:45 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

83,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

KES to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Thika 14,250 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thika wins on cost – living expenses run 421% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Thika the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $777 in Thika 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $98.7 in Thika. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $53.7 in Thika. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Thika – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $518 in Thika versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Thika but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Thika 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 Thika gentler on the wallet – expenses run 421% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.