Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
Learn more

Hawassa Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $834 in Hawassa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Hawassa $834
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,199 in Hawassa versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Hawassa $1,199
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,564 in Hawassa versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Hawassa $1,564
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Hawassa costs roughly 69% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hawassa is 38% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ETB 625

$20.77 $20.77

-81.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.11 ETB 6,758

$84.6 $84.6

-50.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.56 ETB 1,054

$12.32 $12.32

-46.75%

Cappuccino

$0.95 ETB 153

$5.63 $5.63

-83.13%

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

$0.63 ETB 102

$3.72 $3.72

-83.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ETB 110

$2.50 $2.50

-72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$8.05 $8.05

-89.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ETB 370

$9.01 $9.01

-74.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 172

$1.12 $1.12

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$3.75 $3.75

-68.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ETB 163

$3.26 $3.26

-69.02%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 253

$4.17 $4.17

-62.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 ETB 1,188

$12.90 $12.90

-42.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ETB 1,616

$14.16 $14.16

-28.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 ETB 1,458

$16.22 $16.22

-43.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 ETB 859

$4.33 $4.33

23.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.46 $1.46

-53.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 ETB 341

$4.51 $4.51

-52.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$4.34 $4.34

-84.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.5

$2.58 $2.58

-80.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ETB 169

$2.35 $2.35

-54.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 110

$1.78 $1.78

-61.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$2.22 $2.22

-74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 ETB 1,312

$9.88 $9.88

-17.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 ETB 891

$15.08 $15.08

-63.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$2.92 $2.92

-77.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$3.46 $3.46

-63.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ETB 210

$2.73 $2.73

-52.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 42.86

$1.66 $1.66

-83.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 326

$35.30 $35.30

-94.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ETB 147

$0.95 $0.95

-3.16%

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

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

$36.0K $36.0K

51.49%

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

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

$27.1K $27.1K

108.21%

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

$202 ETB 32.5K

$229 $229

-11.71%

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

$7.21 ETB 1,158

$59.4 $59.4

-87.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$213 ETB 34.2K

$69.9 $69.9

205.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$3.84 ETB 616

$14.28 $14.28

-73.11%

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

$136 ETB 21.9K

$1,506 $1,506

-90.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

$21.5K $21.5K

40.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.37 ETB 5,356

$52.8 $52.8

-36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

$43.82 $43.82

61.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

$84.8 $84.8

-7.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

$103 $103

-18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 ETB 79.3K

$3,157 $3,157

-84.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

6.79

172.46%

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

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$423 50.6%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 15.2% $64

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.6%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 97% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$120 14.4%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 6.8% $8.2

Eating Out

Hawassa

$76 9.2%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 364% $278

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 1019% $78

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 2123% $56

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Hawassa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $405 per month, with Hawassa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

23:57 11:57 PM

8 h behind Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Austin, TX 13,770 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
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

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

Hawassa wins on cost – living expenses run 219% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hawassa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,252 in Hawassa and $3,995 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.

Childcare runs $136 in Hawassa versus $1,506 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 Hawassa – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $834 in Hawassa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hawassa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hawassa 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 Hawassa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 219% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.