Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cookeville, TN and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Cookeville, TN: $2,393 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Cookeville, TN
Learn more

Cookeville, TN Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Cookeville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,393

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cookeville, TN 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 Cookeville, TN and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,393 in Cookeville, TN versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Cookeville, TN $2,393
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,623 in Cookeville, TN versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Cookeville, TN $3,623
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,853 in Cookeville, TN versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Cookeville, TN $4,853
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Cookeville, TN costs roughly 11% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cookeville, TN 77% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.38 $21.38

$20.63 $20.63

3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 $50.8

$84.6 $84.6

-39.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 $8.01

$12.07 $12.07

-33.64%

Cappuccino

$3.94 $3.94

$5.48 $5.48

-28.10%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$3.80 $3.80

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.47 $2.47

-28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$8.05 $8.05

-37.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 $4.57

$8.88 $8.88

-48.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.11 $1.11

-27.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.72 $3.72

-26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.68 $7.68

$3.37 $3.37

127.89%

Eggs

$3.36 $3.36

$4.32 $4.32

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.40 $19.40

$13.13 $13.13

47.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$14.15 $14.15

-36.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$16.33 $16.33

8.27%

Apples (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$4.55 $4.55

113.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.46 $1.46

48.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$4.71 $4.71

-54.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$4.15 $4.15

-46.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.58 $2.58

-13.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.35 $2.35

-8.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.77 $1.77

62.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.14 $2.14

36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.08 $9.08

$10.10 $10.10

-10.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.38 $12.38

$15.19 $15.19

-18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.82 $2.82

-37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.44 $3.44

131.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.80 $2.80

108.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.60 $1.60

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.94 $0.94

-14.89%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.0K $34.0K

-18.67%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.8K $26.8K

2.11%

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

$322 $322

$223 $223

44.55%

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

$45.81 $45.81

$58.9 $58.9

-22.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.7 $85.7

$70.6 $70.6

21.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.21 $35.21

$57.7 $57.7

-38.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.96 $37.96

$16.53 $16.53

129.64%

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 $14.15

$14.26 $14.26

-0.77%

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

$827 $827

$1,511 $1,511

-45.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.50 $44.50

$51.3 $51.3

-13.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 $45.06

$44.17 $44.17

2.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 $133

$87.0 $87.0

52.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$104 $104

33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 $1,115

$1,940 $1,940

-42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 $986

$1,316 $1,316

-25.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 $2,520

$3,664 $3,664

-31.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$2,565 $2,565

-22.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,242 $2,242

$7,354 $7,354

-69.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,254 $2,254

$3,129 $3,129

-27.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.79

-2.50%

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

Last update for Cookeville, TN: October 20, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cookeville, TN

$986 41.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 33.5% $330

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cookeville, TN

$453 18.9%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 22.3% $101

Groceries & Markets

Cookeville, TN

$424 17.7%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 4.4% $18

Eating Out

Cookeville, TN

$294 12.3%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 18.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Cookeville, TN

$163 6.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 20.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cookeville, TN

$64 2.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 35.8% $23

Getting Around

Cookeville, TN

$9 * 0.4%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 543% $49

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 $1,115 in Cookeville, TN and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51.0 in Cookeville, TN vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $424 vs $406, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cookeville, TN

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

Same time as Cookeville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,340

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cookeville, TN Austin, TX 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cookeville, TN
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

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

Cookeville, TN wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cookeville, TN the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,590 in Cookeville, TN and $4,046 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,115 in Cookeville, TN versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $827 in Cookeville, TN 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 Cookeville, TN – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,393 in Cookeville, TN versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cookeville, TN but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cookeville, TN 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, Cookeville, TN 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 Cookeville, TN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.