Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Waihi

For one person, living is cheaper in Waihi: $1,911 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Waihi
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Waihi Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Waihi

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,911 in Waihi.

Austin, TX $2,663
Waihi $1,911

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,937 in Waihi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Waihi $2,937

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,963 in Waihi.

Austin, TX $5,603
Waihi $3,963

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 39% more expensive than in Waihi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Waihi 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.00 NZ$21.22

73.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$59.7 NZ$105

41.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.35 NZ$14.77

47.54%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.69 NZ$6.53

52.57%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.22 NZ$3.92

67.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.04 NZ$3.61

22.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.72 NZ$10.12

40.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.49 NZ$11.47

38.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.93 NZ$3.41

-41.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.78 NZ$3.16

110.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.62 NZ$2.86

101.23%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.12 NZ$9.06

-18.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.35 NZ$16.53

37.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.53 NZ$15.09

66.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.78 NZ$22.60

26.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.80 NZ$4.95

54.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.25 NZ$3.98

-35.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.16 NZ$5.59

42.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.86 NZ$10.36

-25.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.97 NZ$3.49

30.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.58 NZ$2.79

48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.32 NZ$4.10

-23.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.12 NZ$1.97

98.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$22.08 NZ$39.04

-55.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.83 NZ$17.38

53.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.03 NZ$5.35

-3.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.14 NZ$5.55

10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.93 NZ$3.41

-22.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$85.1 NZ$151

-50.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.96 NZ$3.47

39.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.99 NZ$3.53

-16.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$27.15 NZ$48.02

30.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-44.77%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.9K NZ$38.7K

64.60%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.8K NZ$35.0K

36.78%

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

$229 $229

$117 NZ$206

96.34%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$31.18 NZ$55.1

90.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$56.0 NZ$99.1

24.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$35.97 NZ$63.6

59.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.32 NZ$20.02

26.15%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$647 NZ$1,144

132.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.8K NZ$29.6K

28.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$56.9 NZ$101

-7.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$38.94 NZ$68.9

12.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$106 NZ$187

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$108 NZ$190

-4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,031 NZ$1,823

84.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$865 NZ$1,530

47.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,621 NZ$2,867

126.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,616 NZ$2,858

57.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,404 NZ$7,789

72.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,353 NZ$5,929

-5.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.57

21.90%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Waihi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Waihi

$865 45.3% 32.1% $409

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Waihi

$315 16.5% 22.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Waihi

$204 10.7% 43.1% $154

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Waihi

$224 11.7% 36.7% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Waihi

$139 7.3% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Waihi

$59 3.1% 31.7% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Waihi

$105 5.5% 78.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,031 in Waihi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $60.0 in Waihi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $315 per month, with Waihi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Waihi

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,700

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Waihi 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Waihi

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 Waihi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waihi wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Waihi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,866 in Waihi 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 $1,031 in Waihi. 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 $1,911 in Waihi – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Waihi runs roughly 104% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,911 in Waihi versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Waihi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Waihi 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 Waihi 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 Waihi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.