Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagreb: $1,750 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,750 in Zagreb.

Austin, TX $2,704
Zagreb $1,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,611 in Zagreb.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zagreb $2,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,472 in Zagreb.

Austin, TX $5,562
Zagreb $3,472

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 55% more expensive than in Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Zagreb 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$12.46 €11.12

62.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$63.1 €56.3

34.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.30 €7.40

48.80%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.55 €2.27

114.51%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.97 €2.65

28.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.63 €2.34

-4.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.31 €2.95

143.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.50 €4.02

99.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.28 €1.14

-11.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.66 €1.48

127.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.70 €2.41

20.37%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.00 €3.57

3.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$15.17 €13.54

-13.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$12.00 €10.71

19.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$17.64 €15.74

-9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.31 €2.06

89.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.72 €1.53

-15.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.07 €1.85

119.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.50 €2.23

67.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.35 €1.21

94.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.18 €1.06

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.18 €1.05

49.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.35 €1.20

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.91 €5.27

65.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.20 €9.10

44.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.64 €1.46

69.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.57 €2.29

35.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.61 €0.54

144.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$53.3 €47.57

-24.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.22 €1.98

20.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.43 €1.28

10.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$12.01 €10.72

193.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.85 €1.65

-46.49%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.4K €25.4K

25.88%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$27.5K €24.6K

-1.29%

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

$219 $219

$218 €195

0.42%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$23.68 €21.13

144.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$41.14 €36.71

66.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$50.2 €44.75

15.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$18.69 €16.68

-20.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.76 €7.82

61.30%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$489 €436

208.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.0K €8,926

114.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$106 €95.0

-51.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$42.58 €38.00

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$96.2 €85.9

-11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$108 €96.5

-2.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$861 €768

124.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$652 €582

95.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,459 €1,302

151.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,038 €926

143.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,152 €4,598

47.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,551 €3,169

-9.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,984 €1,771

157.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.3

105.76%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Zagreb

$652 37.3% 48.7% $620

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Zagreb

$318 18.2% 21% $85

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Zagreb

$203 11.6% 41.6% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Zagreb

$283 16.2% 18.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Zagreb

$159 9.1% 23.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Zagreb

$68 3.9% 21.5% $18

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 14.2% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $861 in Zagreb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 157% 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 $63.0 in Zagreb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $318 per month, with Zagreb cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zagreb 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zagreb

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 Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zagreb wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zagreb the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 157% 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 $861 in Zagreb. 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 $1,750 in Zagreb – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zagreb runs roughly 32% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,750 in Zagreb versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zagreb but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zagreb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zagreb delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,750 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zagreb hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Zagreb 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 Zagreb gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.