Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,070 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Darwin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

149

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index
129

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

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Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,070

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,070 in Darwin versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Darwin $3,070
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,116 in Darwin versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Darwin $4,116
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Darwin $5,163
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Darwin is roughly 14% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 129% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 A$32.37

$20.22 $20.22

11.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 A$129

$85.0 $85.0

5.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 A$15.75

$12.35 $12.35

-11.26%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.84

$5.47 $5.47

-25.59%

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

$3.31 A$4.76

$3.82 $3.82

-13.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.44

$2.50 $2.50

23.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.83

$8.06 $8.06

-6.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.65

$8.99 $8.99

-17.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.14

$1.13 $1.13

31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.26

$3.78 $3.78

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.13

$3.25 $3.25

-32.92%

Eggs

$4.35 A$6.25

$4.14 $4.14

5.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 A$12.79

$13.08 $13.08

-31.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.19

$14.31 $14.31

-40.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.32

$15.96 $15.96

-41.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 A$5.61

$4.38 $4.38

-10.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.11

$1.45 $1.45

97.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.03

$4.54 $4.54

-38.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 A$7.40

$4.19 $4.19

22.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.63

$2.63 $2.63

-3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.48

$2.36 $2.36

2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 A$2.97

$1.76 $1.76

17.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.04

$2.16 $2.16

-1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.93 A$63.1

$9.81 $9.81

347.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 A$16.97

$14.72 $14.72

-19.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.12 A$14.53

$2.78 $2.78

264.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 A$11.24

$3.48 $3.48

125.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.01 A$69.0

$40.51 $40.51

18.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.34

$2.67 $2.67

39.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 A$1.89

$1.58 $1.58

-16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.60 A$71.3

$35.29 $35.29

40.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.85

$0.99 $0.99

30.30%

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

$31.4K A$45.1K

$35.8K $35.8K

-12.31%

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

$41.5K A$59.6K

$27.2K $27.2K

52.75%

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

$216 A$310

$219 $219

-1.61%

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

$33.26 A$47.77

$58.0 $58.0

-42.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$88.0

$68.4 $68.4

-10.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.7 A$115

$57.9 $57.9

37.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 A$40.37

$14.82 $14.82

89.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 A$24.51

$14.13 $14.13

20.81%

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

$1,924 A$2,763

$1,509 $1,509

27.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 A$11.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-61.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 A$119

$51.7 $51.7

61.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 A$66.2

$44.05 $44.05

4.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$150

$85.1 $85.1

22.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$199

$105 $105

31.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 A$2,465

$1,932 $1,932

-11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 A$2,399

$1,272 $1,272

31.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 A$3,895

$3,670 $3,670

-26.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,097

$2,525 $2,525

-14.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 A$5,449

$7,617 $7,617

-50.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,538 A$5,081

$3,199 $3,199

10.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,166 A$5,984

$5,105 $5,105

-18.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

6.79

-9.57%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 23.8% $398

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.4%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 6.8% $26

Eating Out

Darwin

$340 11.2%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 2.3% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$310 10.2%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 11.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$168 5.5%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 23.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$114 3.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 24.3% $28

Getting Around

Darwin

$58 * 1.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 2.2% $1.3

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 $1,716 in Darwin and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90.0 in Darwin vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $403, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

20:04 8:04 PM

14 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

974,447

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Darwin Austin, TX 14,660 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Darwin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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: $1,716 in Darwin versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,070 per month in Darwin versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 19% less than in Darwin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Darwin 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Darwin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.