Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Austin, TX Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Austin, TX

🙂 Solo nomad: Iowa City, IA is 3% cheaper than Austin, TX without rent, and 14.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Iowa City, IA is 18.2% cheaper than Austin, TX without rent, and 25.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.1 $15.1

$20.13 $20.13

-24.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76 $76

$74.7 $74.7

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$10.02 $10.02

-9.88%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$5.49 $5.49

-9.47%

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

$2.41 $2.41

$2.73 $2.73

-11.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.14 $2.14

-17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$5.83 $5.83

-16.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 $7.05

$7.93 $7.93

-11.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.1 $1.1

-23.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.6 $2.6

$3.33 $3.33

-21.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.9 $4.9

$3.47 $3.47

41.21%

Eggs

$4 $4

$4.34 $4.34

-7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$11.87 $11.87

-20.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.5 $10.5

$10.56 $10.56

-0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 $16.28

$14.75 $14.75

10.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.3 $3.3

$5.02 $5.02

-34.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.5 $1.5

-18.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.8 $2.8

$4.49 $4.49

-37.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$4.05 $4.05

17.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.83 $2.83

-27.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.83 $2.83

-1.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.97 $1.97

-1.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.14 $2.14

-7.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.9 $8.9

$8.76 $8.76

1.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.4 $14.4

$14.7 $14.7

-2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.34 $2.34

-26.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.54 $3.54

35.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.54 $1.54

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.92 $15.92

$43.15 $43.15

-63.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 $4.62

$4.46 $4.46

3.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.82 $1.82

22.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.38 $41.38

$35.66 $35.66

16.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.78 $0.78

3.85%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$25.9K $25.9K

-4.36%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.2K $26.2K

-3.61%

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

$219 $219

$176 $176

24.60%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$58.4 $58.4

-13.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$67 $67

10.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.68 $48.68

$61.9 $61.9

-21.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.13 $20.13

$9.9 $9.9

103.33%

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 $12.06

$15.05 $15.05

-19.87%

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

$1,262 $1,262

$1,399 $1,399

-9.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$21.9K $21.9K

13.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 $66.5

$55.6 $55.6

19.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.21 $49.21

$45.14 $45.14

9.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$86.1 $86.1

16.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$119 $119

-2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 $1,238

$2,228 $2,228

-44.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 $1,110

$1,402 $1,402

-20.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,399 $2,399

$3,792 $3,792

-36.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$2,681 $2,681

-41.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,897 $3,897

$4,241 $4,241

-8.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,941 $1,941

$3,166 $3,166

-38.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,620 $3,620

$4,990 $4,990

-27.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

6.45

-0.31%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: December 2, 2025

Last update for Austin, TX: December 1, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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