Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Waterloo

For one person, living is cheaper in Waterloo: $2,259 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
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Waterloo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Waterloo

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,259 in Waterloo.

Austin, TX $2,663
Waterloo $2,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,111 in Waterloo.

Austin, TX $4,133
Waterloo $3,111

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,962 in Waterloo.

Austin, TX $5,603
Waterloo $3,962

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 18% more expensive than in Waterloo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Waterloo 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$22.30 €19.83

-6.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$101 €89.6

-16.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$14.79 €13.16

-16.70%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.53 €4.03

24.28%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.79 €3.37

-1.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.18 €2.83

-21.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.63 €5.00

42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.48 €4.87

64.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.29 €1.15

-13.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.67 €2.38

40.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.23 €1.99

46.19%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.99 €3.55

4.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$17.65 €15.70

-26.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$12.25 €10.90

15.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$19.60 €17.43

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.81 €2.50

54.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.44 €2.17

-40.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.85 €2.54

58.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.80 €2.49

55.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.17 €1.93

18.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.97 €1.75

19.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.33 €1.18

33.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.04 €0.93

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$12.93 €11.50

-23.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.74 €7.77

72.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.96 €1.75

48.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.40 €2.13

44.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.65 €2.36

-43.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.94 €2.61

-7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.22 €1.98

-25.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$40.93 €36.41

-13.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.10 €1.86

-54.76%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.3K €31.4K

2.25%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-19.65%

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

$229 $229

$224 €199

2.34%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$21.29 €18.94

178.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$49.59 €44.11

40.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.89 €28.37

79.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$20.37 €18.12

-19.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.93 €14.17

-10.36%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$788 €701

91.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$26.5K €23.6K

-19.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$101 €90.0

-47.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$45.40 €40.38

-3.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$110 €98.1

-23.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$147 €131

-30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,061 €943

79.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$998 €888

27.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,402 €1,247

161.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,014 €902

150.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,096 €3,644

85.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,821 €2,509

11.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,468 €2,195

107.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.71

83.02%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Waterloo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Waterloo

$998 44.2% 21.7% $276

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Waterloo

$352 15.6% 13% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Waterloo

$295 13% 17.8% $64

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Waterloo

$344 15.2% 2.8% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Waterloo

$182 8.1% 42.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Waterloo

$64 2.8% 25.7% $22

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Waterloo

$25 * 1.1% 58% $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 $1,061 in Waterloo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 108% 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 $101 in Waterloo. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $352, with Waterloo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇪 Waterloo

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

00:24 12:24 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

29,649

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Waterloo 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Waterloo

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 Waterloo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waterloo wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Waterloo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 108% 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 $1,061 in Waterloo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $788 in Waterloo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Waterloo – a meal for two runs $101 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,259 in Waterloo versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Waterloo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Waterloo 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 Waterloo 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 Waterloo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.