Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ungheni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $652 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $652 in Ungheni.

Austin, TX $2,663
Ungheni $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,019 in Ungheni.

Austin, TX $4,133
Ungheni $1,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,385 in Ungheni.

Austin, TX $5,603
Ungheni $1,385

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 308% more expensive than in Ungheni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Ungheni is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.49 MDL 133

177.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.20 MDL 394

281.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.57 MDL 117

87.52%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.42 MDL 25.24

296.48%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.70 MDL 12.36

431.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.44 MDL 7.79

468.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.99 MDL 17.59

713.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.42 MDL 25.24

534.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.71 MDL 30.30

-34.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.35 MDL 6.27

971.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.87 MDL 15.51

274.71%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.89 MDL 33.57

120.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.15 MDL 180

27.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.99 MDL 70.9

254.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.17 MDL 145

98.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.44 MDL 7.78

884.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.25 MDL 22.13

16.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.08 MDL 19.25

317.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.14 MDL 20.18

280.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.47 MDL 8.36

448.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.35 MDL 6.23

571.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.21 MDL 39.33

-19.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.77 MDL 13.61

188.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.37 MDL 59.8

193.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.12 MDL 73.2

266.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.43 MDL 25.46

104.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.63 MDL 28.97

112.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.36 MDL 6.34

313.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.64 MDL 29.17

66.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.38 MDL 6.72

336.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$3.71 MDL 66.0

851.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.36 MDL 24.13

-30.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.2K MDL 358.3K

34.21%

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

$229 $229

$136 MDL 2,422

67.94%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$11.08 MDL 197

436.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$15.88 MDL 282

340.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$14.19 MDL 252

303.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.88 MDL 69.0

268.04%

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

$1,506 $1,506

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$47.80 MDL 849

10.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.72 MDL 297

162.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$34.18 MDL 607

148.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$68.3 MDL 1,213

50.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$251 MDL 4,449

661.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$113 MDL 2,003

1029.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$333 MDL 5,909

1001.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$277 MDL 4,914

817.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,280 MDL 40.5K

233.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,706 MDL 30.3K

85.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$552 MDL 9,805

827.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-15.13%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ungheni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Ungheni

$113 17.3% 91.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Ungheni

$165 25.3% 59.2% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Ungheni

$163 25% 54.4% $195

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Ungheni

$109 16.7% 69.2% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Ungheni

$75 11.5% 41.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Ungheni

$22 3.4% 74.4% $64

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8% 91.5% $54

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $251 in Ungheni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 828% 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 $22.00 in Ungheni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $165 per month, with Ungheni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

02:15 2:15 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

38,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

MDL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Ungheni 9,820 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ungheni

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 Ungheni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ungheni wins on cost – living expenses run 308% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ungheni the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 828% 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 $251 in Ungheni. 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 $652 in Ungheni – a 308% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 145% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $652 in Ungheni versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ungheni but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ungheni 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 Ungheni 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 Ungheni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 308% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.