Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Timisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,155 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Timisoara
Learn more

Timisoara Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,155

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,155 in Timisoara.

Austin, TX $2,704
Timisoara $1,155

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,763 in Timisoara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Timisoara $1,763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,371 in Timisoara.

Austin, TX $5,562
Timisoara $2,371

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 134% more expensive than in Timisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Timisoara is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.66 RON 50.8

89.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$47.11 RON 225

80.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.58 RON 40.91

43.94%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.98 RON 14.20

83.56%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.13 RON 10.17

79.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.62 RON 7.74

54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.67 RON 12.75

201.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.23 RON 20.14

112.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.38 RON 6.56

-18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.21 RON 5.76

212.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.31 RON 6.26

148.09%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.97 RON 14.18

39.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.63 RON 41.13

51.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$6.11 RON 29.14

134.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.99 RON 52.4

45.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.13 RON 5.39

287.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.46 RON 6.96

-0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.45 RON 6.93

213.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.38 RON 11.35

76.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.79 RON 3.76

232.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.98 RON 4.65

140.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.65 RON 3.11

170.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.73 RON 3.47

195.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$6.12 RON 29.18

60.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.23 RON 34.47

103.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.13 RON 5.38

146.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.71 RON 8.13

103.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.06 RON 5.05

40.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$33.86 RON 161

19.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.82 RON 3.90

225.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.82 RON 3.90

92.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.32 RON 39.67

324.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.94 RON 9.25

-48.97%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.6K RON 136.2K

25.28%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.3K RON 115.6K

12.00%

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

$219 $219

$168 RON 801

30.46%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$6.72 RON 32.01

762.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$8.34 RON 39.74

719.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$38.65 RON 184

49.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$16.17 RON 77.0

-8.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.94 RON 37.82

77.96%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$598 RON 2,852

152.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,769 RON 41.8K

144.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$75.0 RON 358

-31.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$39.30 RON 187

12.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$75.5 RON 360

12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$90.4 RON 431

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$547 RON 2,608

253.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$360 RON 1,717

253.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$840 RON 4,005

336.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$611 RON 2,911

313.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,495 RON 11.9K

205.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,863 RON 8,880

71.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,183 RON 5,639

331.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.88

-1.31%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Timisoara: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Timisoara

$360 31.2% 71.7% $912

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Timisoara

$204 17.7% 49.4% $199

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Timisoara

$184 15.9% 47.2% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Timisoara

$183 15.9% 47% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Timisoara

$126 10.9% 2.1% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Timisoara

$55 4.7% 36.7% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Timisoara

$43 3.7% 24.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $547 in Timisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 331% 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 $47.00 in Timisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $204 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

319,279

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Timisoara 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Timisoara

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 Timisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timisoara wins on cost – living expenses run 134% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Timisoara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 331% 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 $547 in Timisoara. 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 $1,155 in Timisoara – a 134% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Timisoara runs roughly 20% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,155 in Timisoara versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timisoara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Timisoara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Timisoara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,155 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Timisoara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Timisoara 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 Timisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.