Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zalau

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalau: $871 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Zalau
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Zalau Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Zalau

🇷🇴 Romania

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $871 in Zalau.

Austin, TX $2,698
Zalau $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,327 in Zalau.

Austin, TX $4,160
Zalau $1,327

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,783 in Zalau.

Austin, TX $5,622
Zalau $1,783

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 210% more expensive than in Zalau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Zalau is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$7.52 RON 35.59

174.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$35.18 RON 166

140.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.25 RON 24.83

129.90%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.18 RON 10.30

151.38%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.49 RON 7.07

155.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.24 RON 5.86

99.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.87 RON 8.83

330.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.37 RON 11.19

274.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.38 RON 6.53

-19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.13 RON 5.34

229.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.23 RON 5.84

173.98%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.97 RON 9.31

119.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.88 RON 37.28

66.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$5.50 RON 26.01

157.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.45 RON 49.45

56.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$0.80 RON 3.79

468.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.29 RON 6.09

13.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.44 RON 6.83

227.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.89 RON 8.96

119.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.66 RON 3.13

290.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.56 RON 2.63

319.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.61 RON 2.89

190.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.73 RON 3.44

193.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.94 RON 23.39

104.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.20 RON 24.59

192.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.07 RON 5.06

163.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.14 RON 5.40

201.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.81 RON 3.84

90.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$21.39 RON 101

91.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.82 RON 3.89

241.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.82 RON 3.86

95.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$7.61 RON 36.03

351.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 RON 7.08

-37.33%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$28.5K RON 135.0K

19.09%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.7K RON 121.8K

3.96%

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

$223 $223

$102 RON 481

118.82%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$4.27 RON 20.22

1279.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$6.29 RON 29.74

1022.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$33.09 RON 157

74.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$21.48 RON 102

-23.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.38 RON 25.46

165.06%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$420 RON 1,985

260.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$7,019 RON 33.2K

197.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$52.5 RON 248

-2.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$30.12 RON 143

46.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$56.8 RON 269

53.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$62.1 RON 294

68.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$383 RON 1,812

406.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$288 RON 1,362

357.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$586 RON 2,772

525.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$445 RON 2,104

476.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,818 RON 8,602

304.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,323 RON 6,257

136.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$621 RON 2,936

751.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.85

-0.88%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zalau: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Zalau

$288 33.1% 78.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Zalau

$180 20.6% 55.7% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Zalau

$112 12.9% 68.1% $240

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Zalau

$127 14.6% 63.7% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Zalau

$91 10.4% 29.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zalau

$44 5% 49.1% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Zalau

$30 3.4% 49% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $383 in Zalau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 752% 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 $35.00 in Zalau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $180 per month, with Zalau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Zalau

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

20:50 8:50 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

56,202

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zalau 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zalau

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 Zalau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zalau wins on cost – living expenses run 210% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zalau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 752% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $383 in Zalau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $871 in Zalau – a 210% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zalau runs roughly 92% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $871 in Zalau versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zalau but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zalau 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 Zalau 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 Zalau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 210% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.