Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,057 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,057 in Welkom.

Austin, TX $2,663
Welkom $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,595 in Welkom.

Austin, TX $4,133
Welkom $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,132 in Welkom.

Austin, TX $5,603
Welkom $2,132

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 152% more expensive than in Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Welkom is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.03 R 149

130.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$20.75 R 342

307.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.50 R 90.6

124.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.30 R 37.92

144.78%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.50 R 8.20

644.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.63 R 10.32

296.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.19 R 19.67

576.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.52 R 25.05

492.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.05 R 17.35

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.06 R 17.42

253.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.42 R 23.35

129.58%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.80 R 29.60

131.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.71 R 111

92.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.52 R 74.4

213.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$4.82 R 79.5

236.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.52 R 25.12

184.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.68 R 27.69

-13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.72 R 28.42

162.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.20 R 19.72

261.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.13 R 18.54

128.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.22 R 20.09

92.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.95 R 15.69

87.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.34 R 22.12

65.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.48 R 40.92

298.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$2.44 R 40.23

518.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.53 R 25.18

90.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.83 R 30.12

89.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.44 R 23.72

3.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.31 R 5.11

780.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.81 R 13.35

104.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$14.49 R 239

143.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 R 25.04

-37.50%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.3K R 581.8K

2.09%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.5K R 568.2K

-21.49%

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

$229 $229

$151 R 2,491

51.44%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$37.35 R 615

59.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$36.39 R 600

92.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$32.34 R 533

76.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$9.53 R 157

71.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.32 R 121

95.08%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$265 R 4,368

467.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,448 R 89.8K

293.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$54.2 R 893

-2.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$31.69 R 522

38.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$92.2 R 1,519

-8.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$82.6 R 1,361

24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$394 R 6,490

384.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$364 R 5,997

250.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$729 R 12.0K

402.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$736 R 12.1K

244.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$950 R 15.6K

701.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$754 R 12.4K

318.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.34

-40.12%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Welkom

$364 34.4% 71.4% $910

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Welkom

$164 15.5% 59.6% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Welkom

$225 21.3% 37.2% $133

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Welkom

$130 12.3% 63.3% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Welkom

$47 4.5% 45.2% $39

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Welkom

$10 * 1% 82.8% $49

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 $394 in Welkom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $21.00 in Welkom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $164 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

14:40 2:40 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

64,130

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Welkom 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Welkom wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Welkom the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,585 in Welkom 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 $394 in Welkom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $265 in Welkom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Welkom – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,057 in Welkom versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Welkom but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Welkom 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 Welkom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.