Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Yellowknife

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $2,924 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
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Yellowknife Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,924 in Yellowknife.

Austin, TX $2,704
Yellowknife $2,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,087 in Yellowknife.

Austin, TX $4,133
Yellowknife $4,087

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $5,250 in Yellowknife.

Austin, TX $5,562
Yellowknife $5,250

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 8% less than in Yellowknife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Yellowknife 118% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$19.40 CA$27.59

4.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$83.3 CA$118

2.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.39 CA$11.94

47.20%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.39 CA$6.24

24.60%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.39 CA$3.41

59.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.03 CA$2.88

23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$6.43 CA$9.15

25.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.96 CA$9.89

29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.75 CA$3.91

-58.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.64 CA$3.76

43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.75 CA$6.75

-31.58%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.15 CA$4.48

31.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.97 CA$9.92

87.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$15.66 CA$22.28

-8.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$15.51 CA$22.06

2.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.81 CA$6.84

-8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.51 CA$2.15

-3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$5.06 CA$7.20

-10.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$7.17 CA$10.20

-41.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$4.53 CA$6.45

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.62 CA$5.15

-34.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.45 CA$4.91

-48.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.04 CA$1.49

107.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$17.52 CA$24.92

-44.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$14.30 CA$20.33

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.14 CA$5.89

-32.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$6.33 CA$9.00

-45.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.13 CA$3.03

-30.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$52.8 CA$75.1

-23.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.13 CA$4.46

-14.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.37 CA$1.95

15.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 CA$1.86

-24.43%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$24.2K CA$34.4K

47.84%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$18.8K CA$26.8K

44.32%

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

$219 $219

$355 CA$505

-38.20%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$57.5 CA$81.7

0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$99.7 CA$142

-31.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$72.1 CA$103

-19.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$9.54 CA$13.57

48.11%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$593 CA$843

154.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$62.0 CA$88.1

-16.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$34.78 CA$49.47

26.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$99.6 CA$142

-14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$114 CA$162

-7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,389 CA$1,976

39.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,381 CA$1,964

-7.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,101 CA$2,989

74.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,059 CA$2,929

22.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,977 CA$4,235

155.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,819 CA$4,010

13.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,989 CA$5,673

27.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.32

27.63%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Yellowknife: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.3% 8.5% $108

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Yellowknife

$430 14.7% 6.6% $27

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Yellowknife

$297 10.2% 14.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Yellowknife

$512 17.5% 48.1% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Yellowknife

$140 4.8% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Yellowknife

$91 3.1% 5.8% $5

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Yellowknife

$71 2.4% 25.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,389 in Yellowknife. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 28% 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 $83.0 in Yellowknife. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $430, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

01:11 1:11 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

19,234

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Yellowknife 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Yellowknife

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 Yellowknife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Yellowknife. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 28% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,389 in Yellowknife. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,924 in Yellowknife – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 30% less than in Yellowknife. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Yellowknife. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.