Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Wollongong

For one person, living is cheaper in Wollongong: $2,251 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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 Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,251 in Wollongong.

Austin, TX $2,663
Wollongong $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,295 in Wollongong.

Austin, TX $4,133
Wollongong $3,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,339 in Wollongong.

Austin, TX $5,603
Wollongong $4,339

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$16.72 A$24.06

24.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$83.9 A$121

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.27 A$14.78

19.96%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.49 A$5.03

61.32%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.16 A$4.54

17.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.17 A$3.12

15.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.09 A$10.20

13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.93 A$9.97

30.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.19 A$1.72

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.92 A$4.20

28.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.11 A$3.04

54.50%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.93 A$5.65

6.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.40 A$14.96

24.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.47 A$13.62

49.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$15.48 A$22.27

4.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.90 A$4.17

49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.54 A$3.65

-42.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.30 A$4.74

36.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.53 A$6.51

-4.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.31 A$3.33

11.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.58 A$3.71

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.56 A$3.68

-30.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 A$1.91

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$44.92 A$64.6

-78.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.90 A$20.00

8.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.38 A$6.31

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.67 A$6.72

-25.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.97 A$2.84

-24.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.11 A$5.92

-33.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.55 A$2.23

7.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$42.79 A$61.6

-17.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.32 A$1.90

-28.03%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.6K A$38.2K

35.75%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.8K A$35.6K

9.28%

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

$229 $229

$185 A$267

23.50%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$27.08 A$38.97

119.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$51.1 A$73.5

36.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$81.8 A$118

-30.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.07 A$20.24

16.06%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$13.02 A$18.73

9.68%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$2,148 A$3,091

-29.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$20.5K A$29.5K

4.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$68.2 A$98.1

-22.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.0 A$79.2

-20.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$105 A$152

-19.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$108 A$155

-4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,246 A$1,793

53.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,079 A$1,552

18.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,947 A$2,802

88.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,666 A$2,398

52.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,438 A$6,386

71.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,676 A$5,290

-14.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$5,130 A$7,382

-0.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.23

29.83%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wollongong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Wollongong

$1.1K 47.9% 15.3% $195

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Wollongong

$353 15.7% 12.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Wollongong

$264 11.7% 26.4% $95

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Wollongong

$277 12.3% 21.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Wollongong

$151 6.7% 18.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Wollongong

$108 4.8% 25.7% $22

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Wollongong

$20 * 0.9% 66.3% $39

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 $1,246 in Wollongong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $84.0 in Wollongong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $353 per month, with Wollongong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

16 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

280,153

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Wollongong 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Wollongong

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 Wollongong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wollongong 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 Wollongong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Wollongong. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,246 in Wollongong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $2,148 in Wollongong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wollongong – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,251 in Wollongong versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wollongong but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Wollongong 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 Wollongong 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 Wollongong 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.