Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Traverse City, MI

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Traverse City, MI: $2,607 and $2,657 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Traverse City, MI
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Traverse City, MI Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Traverse City, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Traverse City, MI

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 Traverse City, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $2,657 in Traverse City, MI.

Austin, TX $2,607
Traverse City, MI $2,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $3,969 in Traverse City, MI.

Austin, TX $4,031
Traverse City, MI $3,969

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $5,280 in Traverse City, MI.

Austin, TX $5,454
Traverse City, MI $5,280

Monthly costs are close between Austin, TX and Traverse City, MI; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Traverse City, MI 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$21.93 $21.93

-7.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$76.2 $76.2

11.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$11.20 $11.20

8.21%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.72 $4.72

19.70%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$2.45 $2.45

50.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.08 $2.08

13.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.97 $4.97

58.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$6.56 $6.56

34.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.72 $0.72

58.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.07 $3.07

20.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$4.48 $4.48

-26.12%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.68 $2.68

54.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$19.15 $19.15

-32.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$12.21 $12.21

13.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$21.64 $21.64

-24.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$6.77 $6.77

-30.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.38 $1.38

5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.79 $3.79

34.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$6.89 $6.89

-34.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.69 $2.69

14.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.23 $3.23

-26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.27 $2.27

-20.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.62 $2.62

-15.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$5.86 $5.86

70.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.87 $14.87

1.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.03 $2.03

43.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$7.04 $7.04

-52.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$5.91 $5.91

-79.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$29.69 $29.69

36.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.96 $0.96

-1.04%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$35.1K $35.1K

-2.61%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.9K $25.9K

3.18%

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

$223 $223

$116 $116

92.41%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$36.98 $36.98

58.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$67.9 $67.9

4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$62.6 $62.6

-15.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$10.19 $10.19

37.98%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$1,026 $1,026

42.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$11.3K $11.3K

89.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$58.3 $58.3

-9.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$42.48 $42.48

0.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$102 $102

-15.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$85.2 $85.2

21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$2,014 $2,014

4.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$1,398 $1,398

-11.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$3,875 $3,875

-0.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$2,378 $2,378

1.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$3,417 $3,417

117.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$3,436 $3,436

-10.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$2,812 $2,812

84.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.32

7.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Traverse City, MI: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Traverse City, MI

$1.4K 52.6% 13.6% $168

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Traverse City, MI

$451 17% 10% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Traverse City, MI

$221 8.3% 37.4% $132

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Traverse City, MI

$322 12.1% 7.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Traverse City, MI

$130 4.9% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Traverse City, MI

$83 3.1% 2.3% $1.8

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Traverse City, MI

$53 * 2% 5.6% $3.1

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 $2,112 in Austin, TX and $2,014 in Traverse City, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $76 in Traverse City, MI. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $451, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Traverse City, MI

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

04:56 4:56 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

15,678

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Traverse City, MI 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Traverse City, MI

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 Traverse City, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 84% 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $2,014 in Traverse City, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $1,026 in Traverse City, MI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Traverse City, MI – a meal for two runs $76 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.