Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ulan Ude

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulan Ude: $1,098 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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 Ulan Ude
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Ulan Ude Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Ulan Ude

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude.

Austin, TX $2,704
Ulan Ude $1,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,685 in Ulan Ude.

Austin, TX $4,133
Ulan Ude $1,685

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,272 in Ulan Ude.

Austin, TX $5,562
Ulan Ude $2,272

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 146% more expensive than in Ulan Ude, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Ulan Ude is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$6.81 ₽579

196.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$46.65 ₽3,969

82.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.95 ₽591

77.70%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.47 ₽296

57.64%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.80 ₽154

112.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.73 ₽147

44.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.65 ₽310

120.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.74 ₽488

56.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.26 ₽107

-10.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.84 ₽71.7

350.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.45 ₽38.68

622.22%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.88 ₽160

120.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$11.60 ₽987

12.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.90 ₽502

142.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.40 ₽885

53.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.21 ₽103

261.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.79 ₽152

-18.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.17 ₽99.3

288.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.32 ₽198

80.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.58 ₽48.94

353.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.84 ₽71.5

180.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.47 ₽295

-49.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.73 ₽62.0

195.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.85 ₽243

244.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.17 ₽695

80.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.58 ₽49.24

379.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.19 ₽101

192.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.46 ₽38.80

223.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$23.18 ₽1,972

74.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.21 ₽103

120.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.17 ₽14.61

829.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.10 ₽605

397.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.78 ₽66.1

26.92%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$47.6K ₽4.0M

-24.77%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-22.52%

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

$219 $219

$118 ₽10.1K

85.27%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$3.50 ₽298

1556.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$8.20 ₽698

733.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$23.55 ₽2,004

145.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$48.08 ₽4,091

-69.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.87 ₽585

105.68%

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

$1,509 $1,509

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$70.4 ₽5,992

-26.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$29.41 ₽2,503

49.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$117 ₽9,919

-27.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$119 ₽10.1K

-11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$501 ₽42.6K

286.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$371 ₽31.5K

243.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$773 ₽65.7K

375.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$580 ₽49.3K

335.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,977 ₽168.2K

285.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,538 ₽130.9K

108.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$884 ₽75.2K

477.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

21.67

-68.67%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Ulan Ude

$371 34.2% 70.9% $902

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Ulan Ude

$207 19.1% 48.7% $196

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Ulan Ude

$161 14.8% 53.8% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Ulan Ude

$130 12% 62.4% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Ulan Ude

$151 13.9% 17.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Ulan Ude

$37 3.4% 56.7% $49

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Ulan Ude

$27 2.5% 52.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $501 in Ulan Ude. 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 $47.00 in Ulan Ude for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $207 per month, with Ulan Ude cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

436,138

💱 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 = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

RUB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Ulan Ude 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ulan Ude

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 Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulan Ude wins on cost – living expenses run 146% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ulan Ude 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 $501 in Ulan Ude. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ulan Ude – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Ulan Ude runs roughly 75% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,098 in Ulan Ude versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ulan Ude but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ulan Ude 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.

Expats usually find Ulan Ude gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.