Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $289 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $289 in Varanasi.

Austin, TX $2,663
Varanasi $289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $476 in Varanasi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Varanasi $476

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $663 in Varanasi.

Austin, TX $5,603
Varanasi $663

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 822% more expensive than in Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Varanasi is 79% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.82 ₹173

1041.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$7.99 ₹759

958.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$3.10 ₹295

297.42%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.57 ₹149

258.60%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.41 ₹39.31

807.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.11 ₹10.47

2172.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.60 ₹152

403.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.04 ₹194

341.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.62 ₹58.5

80.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.31 ₹29.90

1109.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.53 ₹50.5

515.09%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$0.81 ₹77.3

414.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$3.20 ₹304

303.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.19 ₹208

546.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.40 ₹133

209.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.60 ₹57.3

143.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.87 ₹82.7

418.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.32 ₹30.20

1256.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.23 ₹21.68

1021.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.25 ₹23.77

840.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.44 ₹42.08

304.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.28 ₹26.68

692.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.19 ₹303

209.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.83 ₹553

158.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.58 ₹150

84.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.87 ₹178

85.03%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.19 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.53 ₹50.7

181.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$9.63 ₹914

333.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.26 ₹24.88

950.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.10 ₹9.62

1560.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$1.02 ₹96.9

3360.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.05 ₹100

-9.52%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

187.95%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$21.8K ₹2.1M

24.24%

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

$229 $229

$12.47 ₹1,185

1736.33%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$3.66 ₹348

1522.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$6.98 ₹663

901.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$12.63 ₹1,199

353.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$2.86 ₹271

399.30%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.92 ₹3,696

3769.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,003 ₹95.2K

2040.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$22.70 ₹2,156

132.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$25.30 ₹2,403

73.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$37.80 ₹3,589

124.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$25.24 ₹2,397

308.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$111 ₹10.5K

1620.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$47.37 ₹4,499

2589.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$196 ₹18.6K

1772.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$140 ₹13.3K

1707.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$569 ₹54.0K

1237.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$333 ₹31.6K

849.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$578 ₹54.9K

785.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.53

-20.40%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Varanasi

$47 16.4% 96.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Varanasi

$81 27.9% 80.1% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Varanasi

$23 8% 93.5% $335

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Varanasi

$57 19.7% 83.9% $297

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Varanasi

$50 17.3% 61% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Varanasi

$18 6.4% 78.6% $67

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Varanasi

$13 4.3% 78.7% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $111 in Varanasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 786% 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 $8.00 in Varanasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $81.0 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

02:58 2:58 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,100,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

INR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Varanasi 13,830 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi wins on cost – living expenses run 822% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Varanasi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 786% 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 $111 in Varanasi. 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 $289 in Varanasi – a 822% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Varanasi runs roughly 333% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $289 in Varanasi versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varanasi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Varanasi 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 Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 822% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.