Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
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Zawiya Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $441 in Zawiya.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zawiya $441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $685 in Zawiya.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zawiya $685

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $929 in Zawiya.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zawiya $929

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 505% more expensive than in Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zawiya is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.39 LYD 15.32

769.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$15.64 LYD 100

440.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$2.68 LYD 17.16

359.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 LYD 3.80

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$0.42 LYD 2.68

1240.48%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.41 LYD 2.63

807.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.12 LYD 0.80

1983.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.92 LYD 5.90

21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1775.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.98 LYD 6.26

232.65%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.35 LYD 8.65

208.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.65 LYD 29.77

177.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.58 LYD 22.97

295.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.99 LYD 57.6

80.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.94 LYD 12.46

123.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.44 LYD 9.21

1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.68 LYD 4.38

563.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.50 LYD 3.18

768.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.62 LYD 3.96

316.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.28 LYD 1.80

739.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.30 LYD 1.92

493.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.18 LYD 1.18

1133.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.75 LYD 4.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.72 LYD 11.03

474.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.80 LYD 5.13

86.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$39.03 LYD 250

6.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.76 LYD 4.84

259.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.49 LYD 3.13

238.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.38 LYD 15.25

1383.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.02 LYD 0.13

4650.00%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$15.2K LYD 97.4K

137.16%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.5K LYD 105.4K

64.55%

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

$229 $229

$94.2 LYD 603

143.17%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$5.59 LYD 35.80

962.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$12.12 LYD 77.7

476.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$16.94 LYD 109

237.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$3.84 LYD 24.61

325.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.78 LYD 24.25

277.78%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$52.5 LYD 337

2767.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$879 LYD 5,630

2342.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$20.92 LYD 134

152.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$44.60 LYD 286

-1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$31.29 LYD 200

170.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$30.69 LYD 197

235.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$89.2 LYD 572

2037.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$58.3 LYD 373

2086.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$167 LYD 1,072

2089.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$120 LYD 766

2023.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$349 LYD 2,238

2079.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$95.9 LYD 614

3192.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$244 LYD 1,566

1995.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zawiya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 95.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 73.1% $296

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 68.8% $246

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zawiya

$34 7.8% 90.3% $320

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zawiya

$57 13% 55.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zawiya

$25 5.6% 71.4% $61

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zawiya

$45 10.3% 22.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $89.2 in Zawiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1996% 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 $16.00 in Zawiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $109 per month, with Zawiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

318,726

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

LYD to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Zawiya 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zawiya

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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zawiya wins on cost – living expenses run 505% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zawiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1996% 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 $89.2 in Zawiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $441 in Zawiya – a 505% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zawiya runs roughly 7% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $441 in Zawiya versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zawiya but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zawiya 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 Zawiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 505% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.