Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Worcester

For one person, living is cheaper in Worcester: $692 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Worcester
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Worcester Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Worcester

🇿🇦 South Africa

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $692 in Worcester.

Austin, TX $2,663
Worcester $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,553 in Worcester.

Austin, TX $4,133
Worcester $1,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,414 in Worcester.

Austin, TX $5,603
Worcester $2,414

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 285% more expensive than in Worcester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Worcester is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.00 R 82.5

315.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$33.31 R 549

153.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.50 R 74.1

173.78%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.59 R 26.13

254.09%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.77 R 12.69

383.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.67 R 11.02

273.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.37 R 39.05

239.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.16 R 35.52

317.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.86 R 14.21

30.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.02 R 16.80

267.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.23 R 20.23

165.04%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.72 R 28.28

142.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.65 R 143

49.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.74 R 111

110.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$5.35 R 88.2

203.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.90 R 31.36

127.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.88 R 31.05

-22.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.74 R 28.64

159.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.07 R 34.11

109.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.70 R 11.47

268.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.56 R 25.66

50.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.28 R 21.10

39.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.14 R 18.86

94.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.68 R 60.7

168.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.10 R 101

147.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.13 R 18.55

158.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.21 R 36.33

56.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.58 R 9.61

370.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.54 R 25.35

7.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.09 R 83.9

593.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 R 25.46

-38.71%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.2K R 580.6K

2.30%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$31.7K R 521.5K

-14.46%

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

$229 $229

$118 R 1,939

94.59%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$28.10 R 463

111.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$39.53 R 651

76.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$52.3 R 862

9.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.15 R 200

34.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.13 R 150

56.41%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$259 R 4,263

481.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,943 R 114.4K

209.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$55.8 R 918

-5.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$32.41 R 534

35.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$120 R 1,984

-29.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$108 R 1,782

-4.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$394 R 6,494

383.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$781 R 12.9K

369.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$922 R 15.2K

175.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$981 R 16.2K

422.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.97

-38.10%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Worcester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Worcester

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Worcester

$191 27.6% 52.9% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Worcester

$185 26.8% 48.3% $173

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Worcester

$94 13.7% 73.3% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Worcester

$143 20.6% 11.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Worcester

$71 10.2% 17.7% $15

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Worcester

$8.3 * 1.2% 85.9% $50

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 Worcester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 422% 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 $33.00 in Worcester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $191 per month, with Worcester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Worcester

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

04:33 4:33 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

97,098

💱 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

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Between locations

Austin, TX Worcester 14,170 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Worcester

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 Worcester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Worcester wins on cost – living expenses run 285% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Worcester the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 422% 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 $394 in Worcester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $259 in Worcester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Worcester – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $692 in Worcester versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Worcester but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Worcester 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 Worcester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 285% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.