Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,084 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index
130

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

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Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,084

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,084 in Hillcrest versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Hillcrest $1,084
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,681 in Hillcrest versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Hillcrest $1,681
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,279 in Hillcrest versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Hillcrest $2,279
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Hillcrest costs roughly 59% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hillcrest is 20% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.59 R 125

$20.77 $20.77

-63.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.42 R 633

$84.6 $84.6

-54.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.8

$12.32 $12.32

-52.35%

Cappuccino

$2.74 R 45.17

$5.63 $5.63

-51.33%

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

$1.08 R 17.77

$3.72 $3.72

-70.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.64

$2.50 $2.50

-66.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 R 39.22

$8.05 $8.05

-70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.26

$9.01 $9.01

-72.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.34

$1.12 $1.12

9.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 R 15.06

$3.75 $3.75

-75.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.36

$3.26 $3.26

-54.60%

Eggs

$2.42 R 39.88

$4.17 $4.17

-41.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 135

$12.90 $12.90

-36.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 R 84.8

$14.16 $14.16

-63.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.05 R 116

$16.22 $16.22

-56.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.23

$4.33 $4.33

-70.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.55

$1.46 $1.46

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.34

$4.51 $4.51

-57.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.46

$4.34 $4.34

-61.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.43

$2.58 $2.58

-42.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.79

$2.35 $2.35

-38.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 R 19.73

$1.78 $1.78

-32.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.01

$2.22 $2.22

-48.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 R 58.4

$9.88 $9.88

-64.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.1

$15.08 $15.08

-67.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.83

$2.92 $2.92

-52.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 R 30.21

$3.46 $3.46

-47.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 R 24.09

$1.49 $1.49

-2.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.66

$2.73 $2.73

-85.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.69

$1.66 $1.66

-57.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 R 124

$35.30 $35.30

-78.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.06

$0.95 $0.95

60.00%

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

$35.3K R 580.9K

$36.0K $36.0K

-2.18%

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

$30.8K R 506.8K

$27.1K $27.1K

13.63%

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

$143 R 2,362

$229 $229

-37.39%

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

$35.68 R 588

$59.4 $59.4

-39.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.15 R 645

$69.9 $69.9

-44.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.67 R 522

$57.2 $57.2

-44.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 R 178

$16.33 $16.33

-33.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 R 116

$14.28 $14.28

-50.63%

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

$308 R 5,078

$1,506 $1,506

-79.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,586 R 125.0K

$21.5K $21.5K

-64.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 R 888

$52.8 $52.8

2.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.76 R 490

$43.82 $43.82

-32.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 R 1,620

$84.8 $84.8

15.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,382

$103 $103

-18.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 R 6,544

$1,907 $1,907

-79.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,029

$1,274 $1,274

-71.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 R 12.0K

$3,664 $3,664

-80.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.1K

$2,538 $2,538

-71.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$882 R 14.5K

$7,614 $7,614

-88.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$659 R 10.9K

$3,157 $3,157

-79.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

6.79

73.49%

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

Last update for Hillcrest: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hillcrest

$366 33.8%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 248% $908

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$218 20.1%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 64.2% $140

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$188 17.4%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 115% $216

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$136 12.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 161% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$120 11%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$46 4.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 87.4% $40

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$9.8 * 0.9%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 499% $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 $397 in Hillcrest and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Hillcrest vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $405 per month, with Hillcrest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

7 h behind Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Hillcrest Austin, TX 15,100 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Hillcrest
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

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

Hillcrest wins on cost – living expenses run 146% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hillcrest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,625 in Hillcrest 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $397 in Hillcrest versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $308 in Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,084 in Hillcrest versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hillcrest but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hillcrest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hillcrest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,084 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hillcrest hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Hillcrest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.