Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tulcea

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $997 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $983 in Tulcea.

Austin, TX $2,663
Tulcea $983

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,558 in Tulcea.

Austin, TX $4,133
Tulcea $1,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,132 in Tulcea.

Austin, TX $5,603
Tulcea $2,132

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 171% more expensive than in Tulcea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Tulcea is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$11.47 RON 54.3

79.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$46.70 RON 221

81.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$7.95 RON 37.63

51.82%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.15 RON 10.19

154.88%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.10 RON 9.93

80.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.06 RON 5.04

133.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.05 RON 9.69

292.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.15 RON 10.18

313.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.56 RON 7.40

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.08 RON 5.09

244.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.44 RON 6.81

134.03%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.13 RON 14.82

38.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.72 RON 36.54

70.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.66 RON 31.50

112.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$9.68 RON 45.78

68.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.30 RON 6.16

250.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.66 RON 7.83

-12.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.46 RON 6.91

222.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.02 RON 9.55

105.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.78 RON 3.67

230.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.75 RON 3.56

213.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.64 RON 3.01

176.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.81 RON 3.84

164.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.41 RON 30.33

57.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$6.22 RON 29.42

144.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.99 RON 4.66

184.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.44 RON 6.79

138.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.03 RON 4.89

49.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$17.97 RON 85.0

128.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.66 RON 3.13

324.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.62 RON 2.93

158.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.29 RON 29.78

445.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.79 RON 8.47

-47.49%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$28.1K RON 132.8K

21.09%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.2K RON 119.1K

6.29%

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

$223 $223

$135 RON 640

64.50%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$7.91 RON 37.45

644.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$8.44 RON 39.94

736.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$31.20 RON 148

84.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$17.07 RON 80.8

-3.16%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$8.46 RON 40.02

68.56%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$318 RON 1,503

375.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$3,107 RON 14.7K

572.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$53.4 RON 253

-4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$31.43 RON 149

40.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$90.2 RON 427

-3.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$94.9 RON 449

9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$357 RON 1,691

442.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$282 RON 1,335

366.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$597 RON 2,825

513.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$517 RON 2,445

396.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,014 RON 4,795

625.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$872 RON 4,125

258.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$649 RON 3,069

714.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.85

-0.88%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tulcea: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Tulcea

$282 28.3% 78.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Tulcea

$199 20% 51% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Tulcea

$152 15.2% 56.9% $200

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Tulcea

$169 16.9% 51.8% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Tulcea

$121 12.2% 5.9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Tulcea

$48 4.8% 44.2% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Tulcea

$26 2.6% 55.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $349 in Tulcea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 693% 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 $46.00 in Tulcea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $198 per month, with Tulcea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

73,707

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Tulcea 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tulcea

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 Tulcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulcea wins on cost – living expenses run 171% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tulcea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 693% 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 $349 in Tulcea. 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 $983 in Tulcea – a 171% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tulcea runs roughly 134% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $983 in Tulcea versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tulcea but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcea 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 Tulcea 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 Tulcea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 171% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.