Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tomsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Tomsk: $1,068 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Tomsk
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Tomsk Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Tomsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,068 in Tomsk.

Austin, TX $2,704
Tomsk $1,068

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,648 in Tomsk.

Austin, TX $4,133
Tomsk $1,648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,227 in Tomsk.

Austin, TX $5,562
Tomsk $2,227

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 153% more expensive than in Tomsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Tomsk is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.50 ₽637

169.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$29.48 ₽2,507

188.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.42 ₽546

92.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.12 ₽181

158.02%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.86 ₽73.1

344.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.43 ₽36.59

481.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.08 ₽91.5

646.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.27 ₽278

174.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.20 ₽102

-5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.70 ₽59.8

440.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.95 ₽80.4

242.11%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.32 ₽112

213.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$11.45 ₽973

14.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.50 ₽382

218.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.50 ₽808

68.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.64 ₽139

167.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.96 ₽167

-26.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.11 ₽179

115.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.77 ₽235

51.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.41 ₽34.78

541.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.34 ₽29.24

594.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.68 ₽143

4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.51 ₽42.95

323.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.76 ₽235

255.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$5.71 ₽486

157.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.93 ₽79.5

198.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.66 ₽141

109.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.46 ₽39.14

223.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$8.35 ₽710

385.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.33 ₽199

14.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.28 ₽23.72

464.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.03 ₽598

401.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.77 ₽65.5

28.57%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$35.1K ₽3.0M

1.90%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$31.2K ₽2.7M

-12.95%

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

$219 $219

$167 ₽14.2K

31.63%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$8.06 ₽686

619.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$12.77 ₽1,086

435.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$36.73 ₽3,123

57.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$16.05 ₽1,365

-7.66%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$4.66 ₽396

203.22%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$234 ₽19.9K

545.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$114 ₽9,724

-54.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$71.6 ₽6,090

-38.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$165 ₽14.1K

-48.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$120 ₽10.2K

-12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$486 ₽41.3K

297.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$322 ₽27.3K

295.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$788 ₽67.0K

365.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$630 ₽53.5K

301.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,041 ₽173.5K

273.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,430 ₽121.6K

123.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$885 ₽75.3K

476.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-69.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tomsk: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Tomsk

$322 29.4% 74.7% $951

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Tomsk

$190 17.4% 52.9% $213

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Tomsk

$122 11.2% 65% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Tomsk

$187 17.2% 45.8% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Tomsk

$212 19.4% 64.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Tomsk

$46 4.2% 46.6% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Tomsk

$14 1.3% 75.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $486 in Tomsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 477% 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 $29.00 in Tomsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $190 per month, with Tomsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇺 Tomsk

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

551,505

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

RUB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Tomsk 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tomsk

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 Tomsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tomsk wins on cost – living expenses run 153% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tomsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 477% 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 $486 in Tomsk. 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 $1,068 in Tomsk – a 153% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tomsk runs roughly 385% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,068 in Tomsk versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tomsk but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tomsk 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Tomsk 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 Tomsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.