Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlow and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlow: $2,548 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
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Carlow Living Index
129

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

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Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,548 in Carlow versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Carlow $2,548
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,814 in Carlow versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Carlow $3,814
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,081 in Carlow versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Carlow $5,081
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Carlow costs roughly 6% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carlow 88% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 €18.69

$20.63 $20.63

1.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$84.6 $84.6

7.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 €11.65

$12.07 $12.07

8.53%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.78

$5.48 $5.48

-22.45%

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

$2.67 €2.37

$3.80 $3.80

-29.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.47 $2.47

-10.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$8.05 $8.05

-7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$8.88 $8.88

-26.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.11 $1.11

47.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$3.72 $3.72

-46.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$3.37 $3.37

-43.32%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$4.32 $4.32

0.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 €11.98

$13.13 $13.13

2.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.39

$14.15 $14.15

-9.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.84

$16.33 $16.33

-11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$4.55 $4.55

-29.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.46 $1.46

105.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$4.71 $4.71

-29.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 €2.92

$4.15 $4.15

-20.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.58 $2.58

-8.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.35 $2.35

-25.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.77 $1.77

-18.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.14 $2.14

-37.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.84 €16.76

$10.10 $10.10

86.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 €12.04

$15.19 $15.19

-10.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.82 $2.82

51.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.44 $3.44

-0.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.54 $1.54

-18.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$2.80 $2.80

82.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.60 $1.60

-3.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.43 €28.85

$34.34 $34.34

-5.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.94 $0.94

122.34%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$34.0K $34.0K

13.69%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

42.41%

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

$243 €216

$223 $223

9.11%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$58.9 $58.9

-62.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 €50.2

$70.6 $70.6

-20.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.8 €70.1

$57.7 $57.7

36.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.1 €49.93

$16.53 $16.53

239.56%

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 €12.09

$14.26 $14.26

-4.70%

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

$1,052 €936

$1,511 $1,511

-30.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,449 €4,847

$20.9K $20.9K

-73.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$51.3 $51.3

85.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €37.92

$44.17 $44.17

-3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$87.0 $87.0

16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.3

$104 $104

-2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,282

$1,940 $1,940

-25.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$1,316 $1,316

-4.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,310

$3,664 $3,664

-29.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 €1,914

$2,565 $2,565

-16.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,664 €5,038

$7,354 $7,354

-22.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,675 €5,937

$3,129 $3,129

113.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,351 €2,091

$5,286 $5,286

-55.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-41.09%

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

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 4.4% $56

Groceries & Markets

Carlow

$361 14.2%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 12.6% $45

Eating Out

Carlow

$328 12.9%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 6.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlow

$322 12.6%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 9.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Carlow

$153 6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 15.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Carlow

$106 4.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 18.7% $20

Getting Around

Carlow

$18 * 0.7%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 225% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,441 in Carlow and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 125% 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: $91.0 in Carlow vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $361 vs $406, with Carlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Carlow

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

6 h behind Carlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,351

974,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Carlow Austin, TX 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlow
Austin, TX

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

Carlow vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carlow wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Carlow the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 125% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,441 in Carlow versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,052 in Carlow versus $1,511 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Carlow – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,548 in Carlow versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Carlow but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Carlow 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, Carlow and Austin, TX 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 Carlow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.