Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Varnamo: $1,692 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $1,692 in Varnamo.

Austin, TX $2,607
Varnamo $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $2,672 in Varnamo.

Austin, TX $4,031
Varnamo $2,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $3,652 in Varnamo.

Austin, TX $5,454
Varnamo $3,652

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 54% more expensive than in Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Varnamo 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$13.01 SEK 129

56.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$89.7 SEK 891

-5.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$12.23 SEK 121

-0.90%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.68 SEK 46.47

20.73%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$2.72 SEK 26.99

35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.13 SEK 21.15

10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$7.81 SEK 77.6

0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$7.08 SEK 70.3

24.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.71 SEK 17.03

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.50 SEK 24.81

47.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.54 SEK 35.20

-6.50%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$4.63 SEK 45.97

-10.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$12.57 SEK 125

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$11.73 SEK 116

18.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$15.69 SEK 156

4.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.11 SEK 30.92

50.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.55 SEK 25.31

-43.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.82 SEK 27.99

81.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$4.52 SEK 44.89

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.72 SEK 17.12

79.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.41 SEK 14.02

68.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.57 SEK 25.53

-29.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.52 SEK 15.13

46.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$7.81 SEK 77.6

27.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$11.14 SEK 111

35.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.93 SEK 19.22

50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.64 SEK 26.25

26.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.19 SEK 31.70

-61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$74.7 SEK 742

-45.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$5.04 SEK 50.1

-44.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.08 SEK 10.71

52.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$41.06 SEK 408

-13.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.72 SEK 17.08

-44.77%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

1.85%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

-21.85%

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

$223 $223

$77.0 SEK 764

189.80%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$17.22 SEK 171

239.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$30.45 SEK 302

133.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$39.03 SEK 388

35.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$22.33 SEK 222

-24.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$15.36 SEK 153

-8.46%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$157 SEK 1,558

830.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

379.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$80.4 SEK 799

-34.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$56.8 SEK 564

-24.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$99.9 SEK 992

-13.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$123 SEK 1,223

-15.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$794 SEK 7,889

165.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$612 SEK 6,075

101.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

227.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$985 SEK 9,780

144.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

84.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

7.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

154.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.03

125.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 50.3% $619

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 12.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 64.7% $228

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 22.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 26.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 14.1% $11

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 73.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $794 in Varnamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $90 in Varnamo. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $357, with Varnamo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

17:41 5:41 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

19,778

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

SEK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Varnamo 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varnamo wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varnamo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $794 in Varnamo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,692 in Varnamo – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 46% less than in Varnamo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Varnamo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Varnamo wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.