Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,133 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,133 in Upington.

Austin, TX $2,698
Upington $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,760 in Upington.

Austin, TX $4,160
Upington $1,760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,388 in Upington.

Austin, TX $5,622
Upington $2,388

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 138% more expensive than in Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Upington is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$12.40 R 204

66.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$37.12 R 612

127.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.69 R 93.7

112.13%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$1.74 R 28.68

214.94%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.04 R 17.17

265.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.76 R 12.58

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.73 R 28.48

365.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.82 R 46.42

214.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.89 R 14.65

24.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.25 R 20.66

197.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.65 R 27.26

104.24%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.64 R 43.52

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$8.45 R 139

55.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$5.12 R 84.3

176.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.27 R 120

124.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.04 R 33.55

123.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.71 R 28.20

-14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.78 R 29.35

164.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.84 R 30.29

125.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.51 R 24.81

70.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.58 R 25.95

48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.27 R 20.96

39.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.02 R 16.78

109.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.76 R 45.51

265.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$3.73 R 61.4

307.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.28 R 21.09

120.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.75 R 28.88

96.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.74 R 28.72

-11.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.55 R 9.03

409.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.96 R 15.86

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$10.66 R 176

222.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 R 24.69

-37.33%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$31.3K R 514.9K

8.72%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.0K R 560.5K

-21.32%

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

$223 $223

$146 R 2,404

52.59%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$37.98 R 626

55.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$38.45 R 633

83.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$27.77 R 458

107.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$12.05 R 198

37.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.94 R 114

105.48%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$103 R 1,691

1372.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$5,463 R 90.0K

282.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$61.2 R 1,008

-16.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$33.44 R 551

32.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$116 R 1,916

-25.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$96.9 R 1,597

7.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$394 R 6,494

392.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$369 R 6,084

256.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$616 R 10.2K

494.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$737 R 12.1K

248.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$763 R 12.6K

864.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$736 R 12.1K

324.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$776 R 12.8K

581.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.38

-40.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Upington

$369 32.6% 71.9% $947

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Upington

$190 16.8% 53.1% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Upington

$222 19.6% 36.9% $130

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Upington

$159 14% 54.7% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Upington

$139 12.2% 7.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Upington

$42 3.7% 51.7% $45

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Upington

$12 * 1.1% 78.7% $46

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $394 in Upington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 582% 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 $37.00 in Upington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $190 per month, with Upington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

01:26 1:26 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

74,834

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Upington 14,170 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Upington wins on cost – living expenses run 138% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Upington the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 582% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $394 in Upington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $103 in Upington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Upington – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,133 in Upington versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Upington but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Upington 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 Upington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.