Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Wagga Wagga

For one person, living is cheaper in Wagga Wagga: $1,870 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Wagga Wagga
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Wagga Wagga Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Wagga Wagga

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,870 in Wagga Wagga.

Austin, TX $2,663
Wagga Wagga $1,870

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,854 in Wagga Wagga.

Austin, TX $4,133
Wagga Wagga $2,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,837 in Wagga Wagga.

Austin, TX $5,603
Wagga Wagga $3,837

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 42% more expensive than in Wagga Wagga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Wagga Wagga 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.69 A$19.70

51.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$88.1 A$127

-3.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.62 A$15.28

16.01%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.12 A$5.92

36.65%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.15 A$4.54

18.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.57 A$3.69

-2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$8.13 A$11.70

-0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$9.59 A$13.80

-6.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.56 A$2.25

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.29 A$4.73

13.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.68 A$3.85

21.64%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.17 A$7.44

-19.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$12.88 A$18.53

0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.87 A$14.20

43.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$15.35 A$22.09

5.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.89 A$5.60

11.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.08 A$4.44

-52.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.57 A$5.14

26.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.11 A$7.35

-15.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.05 A$4.38

-15.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.72 A$3.91

-13.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.49 A$3.58

-28.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 A$1.92

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$44.17 A$63.6

-77.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.86 A$19.95

8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.59 A$6.60

-36.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$5.45 A$7.84

-36.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.17 A$4.56

-53.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.12 A$5.93

-33.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.64 A$2.35

1.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$43.84 A$63.1

-19.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.33 A$1.91

-28.57%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.7K A$38.4K

34.92%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$29.3K A$42.2K

-7.64%

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

$229 $229

$181 A$260

26.79%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$26.41 A$38.00

124.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$56.0 A$80.5

24.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$27.38 A$39.40

109.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.57 A$22.40

-8.29%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$2,183 A$3,142

-31.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$19.9K A$28.7K

7.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$75.9 A$109

-30.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$56.5 A$81.3

-22.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$105 A$151

-19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$133 A$191

-22.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$916 A$1,317

108.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$690 A$993

84.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,510 A$2,173

142.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,129 A$1,625

124.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,429 A$4,934

122.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,419 A$3,480

30.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.95

14.12%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wagga Wagga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Wagga Wagga

$690 36.9% 45.9% $584

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Wagga Wagga

$394 21.1% 2.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Wagga Wagga

$263 14.1% 26.6% $95

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Wagga Wagga

$273 14.6% 22.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Wagga Wagga

$167 8.9% 30.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Wagga Wagga

$59 3.1% 31.8% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Wagga Wagga

$25 * 1.3% 57.5% $34

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 $916 in Wagga Wagga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $88.0 in Wagga Wagga. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $394, with Wagga Wagga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Wagga Wagga

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

05:17 5:17 AM

16 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

49,686

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Wagga Wagga 14,010 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Wagga Wagga

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 Wagga Wagga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wagga Wagga wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wagga Wagga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,805 in Wagga Wagga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $916 in Wagga Wagga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $2,183 in Wagga Wagga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wagga Wagga – a meal for two runs $88.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,870 in Wagga Wagga versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wagga Wagga but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Wagga Wagga 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 Wagga Wagga 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 Wagga Wagga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.