Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austria and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Austria: $2,242 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Austria
Learn more

Austria Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
Learn more

United States Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,242

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austria and in the United States

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austria and in the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,242 in Austria versus $2,734 in the United States.

Austria $2,242
United States $2,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Austria versus $3,985 in the United States.

Austria $3,363
United States $3,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,484 in Austria versus $5,235 in the United States.

Austria $4,484
United States $5,235

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $1,363–$2,695 in Austria. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in Austria costs about 18% less than in the United States on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Austria 65% above, the United States 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 €15.86

$20.03 $20.03

-11.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €69.0

$80.0 $80.0

-3.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.23

$11.80 $11.80

15.76%

Cappuccino

$4.52 €4.05

$5.55 $5.55

-18.56%

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

$3.73 €3.34

$2.66 $2.66

40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.64

$2.17 $2.17

35.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.93

$6.12 $6.12

-10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.94 $7.94

-29.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.04 $1.04

67.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.36

$3.59 $3.59

-26.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$4.52 $4.52

-48.45%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.24

$4.28 $4.28

10.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.99 €17.01

$13.22 $13.22

43.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 €12.67

$12.60 $12.60

12.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.18 €19.86

$17.60 $17.60

26.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$5.30 $5.30

-46.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.69 $1.69

40.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 €2.82

$4.44 $4.44

-29.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 €3.72

$4.77 $4.77

-13.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.97 $2.97

-26.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$3.15 $3.15

-31.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 €1.75

$2.20 $2.20

-11.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.83

$2.35 $2.35

-60.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.67 €6.87

$10.98 $10.98

-30.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 €8.00

$15.05 $15.05

-40.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.06 $2.06

-29.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$3.79 $3.79

-48.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 €3.09

$1.94 $1.94

77.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 €55.1

$59.4 $59.4

3.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.96

$3.58 $3.58

54.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.88 $1.88

31.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.48 €34.47

$29.84 $29.84

28.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.02 $1.02

85.29%

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

$30.4K €27.2K

$28.8K $28.8K

5.73%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$26.2K $26.2K

20.42%

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

$348 €312

$218 $218

59.81%

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

$15.29 €13.69

$62.5 $62.5

-75.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.39 €30.80

$74.5 $74.5

-53.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.15 €36.86

$41.86 $41.86

-1.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.02 €22.41

$22.81 $22.81

9.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 €12.30

$14.70 $14.70

-6.60%

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

$438 €392

$1,489 $1,489

-70.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K €15.0K

$25.3K $25.3K

-33.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.0 €86.9

$54.3 $54.3

78.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 €38.79

$42.71 $42.71

1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.3

$94.1 $94.1

10.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$114 $114

14.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 €902

$1,659 $1,659

-39.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 €738

$1,348 $1,348

-38.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 €1,637

$2,682 $2,682

-31.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 €1,286

$2,169 $2,169

-33.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,398 €6,626

$3,283 $3,283

125.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,695 €4,205

$2,482 $2,482

89.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,083 €2,761

$4,296 $4,296

-28.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

6.55

-46.26%

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

Last update for Austria: October 27, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austria

$824 36.8%

United States

$1.3K 49.3% 63.5% $523

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austria

$398 17.8%

United States

$355 13% 10.8% $43

Groceries & Markets

Austria

$387 17.3%

United States

$415 15.2% 7.4% $29

Eating Out

Austria

$302 13.5%

United States

$328 12% 8.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Austria

$168 7.5%

United States

$137 5% 18.6% $31

Getting Around

Austria

$93 4.2%

United States

$80 2.9% 14% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Austria

$69 3.1%

United States

$71 2.6% 3.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,011 in Austria, $1,620 in the United States. Capital cities: $1,359 in Vienna vs $2,768 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $2,850 in Austria, $4,549 in the United States. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 60% higher in the United States.

Salaries are 60% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Austria

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

09:11 9:11 AM

5 h behind Austria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,979,894

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austria United States 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austria
United States

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

Austria vs United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,242 per month in Austria and $2,734 in the United States, Austria comes out about 18% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $1,011 in Austria. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Austria, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United States it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Austria wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.