Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulm: $2,139 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,139 in Ulm.

Austin, TX $2,704
Ulm $2,139

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,265 in Ulm.

Austin, TX $4,133
Ulm $3,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,390 in Ulm.

Austin, TX $5,562
Ulm $4,390

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 26% more expensive than in Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Ulm 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$16.64 €14.85

21.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$66.4 €59.3

28.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$13.29 €11.86

-7.07%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.80 €3.39

43.95%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$4.67 €4.16

-18.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.93 €1.73

29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.67 €4.17

72.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.42 €3.95

103.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.45 €1.30

-22.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.98 €1.76

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.18 €3.73

-22.25%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.61 €3.22

14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$14.40 €12.85

-9.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.23 €9.13

39.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$25.47 €22.73

-37.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.48 €3.11

25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.25 €2.01

-35.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.98 €1.77

129.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.89 €3.47

7.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.04 €0.93

152.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.13 €1.01

108.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.68 €1.50

4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.21 €1.08

78.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.97 €8.89

-1.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$5.64 €5.03

160.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.15 €1.02

141.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.49 €1.33

133.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.19 €2.84

-53.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$64.6 €57.7

-37.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.11 €1.88

-53.08%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$32.7K €29.2K

9.46%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$38.6K €34.5K

-29.64%

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

$219 $219

$384 €342

-42.86%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$34.18 €30.50

69.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$52.8 €47.12

29.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$33.91 €30.26

70.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$22.47 €20.05

-34.05%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$13.50 €12.05

4.67%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$451 €402

234.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.9K €11.5K

66.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$90.7 €80.9

-43.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$55.3 €49.37

-20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$92.4 €82.5

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$150 €134

-29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$958 €855

101.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$756 €674

68.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,887 €1,684

94.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,515 €1,352

66.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,993 €5,349

27.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,946 €3,522

-18.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,754 €3,350

35.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.97

71.03%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ulm: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Ulm

$756 35% 40.6% $517

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Ulm

$341 15.8% 15.3% $62

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Ulm

$277 12.9% 20.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Ulm

$471 21.8% 36.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Ulm

$175 8.1% 35.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Ulm

$61 2.8% 29.3% $25

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Ulm

$77 * 3.6% 35.7% $20

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $958 in Ulm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 36% 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 $66.0 in Ulm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $341 per month, with Ulm cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇪 Ulm

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

121,648

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Ulm 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ulm

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 Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulm wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ulm the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% 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 $958 in Ulm. 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 $2,139 in Ulm – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ulm runs roughly 60% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,139 in Ulm versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ulm but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ulm 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 Ulm 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 Ulm gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.