Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Townsville

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Townsville: $2,663 and $2,740 a month, rent and utilities included.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,740 in Townsville.

Austin, TX $2,663
Townsville $2,740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,002 in Townsville.

Austin, TX $4,133
Townsville $4,002

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $5,265 in Townsville.

Austin, TX $5,603
Townsville $5,265

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 3% less than in Townsville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Townsville 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$20.94 A$30.13

-0.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$67.6 A$97.3

25.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.69 A$16.82

5.39%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.60 A$5.18

56.39%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.49 A$3.59

49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.38 A$3.43

5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$8.10 A$11.66

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.94 A$9.98

29.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.85 A$2.66

-39.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.19 A$3.15

71.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.43 A$2.06

127.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.30 A$7.63

-21.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.84 A$11.29

64.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.93 A$14.29

42.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.24 A$19.05

22.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.95 A$5.69

9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.64 A$3.80

-44.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.56 A$5.13

26.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.20 A$6.05

3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.57 A$3.70

0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.52 A$3.63

-6.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.29 A$3.30

-22.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.14 A$3.08

3.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$30.34 A$43.66

-67.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.37 A$14.92

45.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$6.70 A$9.65

-56.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$8.45 A$12.15

-59.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.10 A$3.02

-29.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$77.0 A$111

-45.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.91 A$5.63

-30.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.37 A$3.42

-29.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$52.6 A$75.6

-32.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.30 A$1.87

-26.92%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.0K A$40.4K

28.52%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.0K A$48.9K

-20.37%

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

$229 $229

$379 A$546

-39.60%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$35.76 A$51.5

66.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$67.6 A$97.2

3.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$55.3 A$79.6

3.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$19.74 A$28.40

-17.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.26 A$21.96

-6.42%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$2,105 A$3,029

-28.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.2K A$30.4K

1.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$91.9 A$132

-42.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$69.9 A$101

-37.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$163 A$234

-47.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$129 A$186

-20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,315 A$1,892

45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,177 A$1,694

8.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,467 A$3,551

48.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,081 A$2,995

21.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,850 A$6,979

56.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,960 A$5,699

-20.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$4,115 A$5,921

24.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.54

22.56%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Townsville: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Townsville

$1.2K 43% 7.6% $97

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Townsville

$370 13.5% 8.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Townsville

$482 17.6% 34.7% $124

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Townsville

$320 11.7% 9.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Townsville

$204 7.5% 59.6% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Townsville

$86 3.1% 0% $0

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Townsville

$101 3.7% 72.5% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,315 in Townsville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $68.0 in Townsville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $370 per month, with Townsville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Townsville

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

15 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

173,724

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Townsville 13,460 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Townsville

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 Townsville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Townsville. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,315 in Townsville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,740 in Townsville – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 85% less than in Townsville. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,740 in Townsville, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Austin, TX but tight or insufficient in Townsville. The gap between the two cities makes Austin, TX 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 Townsville 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Townsville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.