Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kearney, NE and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Kearney, NE: $2,083 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Kearney, NE
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Kearney, NE Living Index
129

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

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Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,083

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,083 in Kearney, NE versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Kearney, NE $2,083
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,931 in Kearney, NE versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Kearney, NE $2,931
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,780 in Kearney, NE versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Kearney, NE $3,780
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Kearney, NE costs roughly 23% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kearney, NE 54% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 $15.29

$20.63 $20.63

-25.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$84.6 $84.6

-27.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$12.07 $12.07

-1.66%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$5.48 $5.48

-6.57%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$3.80 $3.80

-44.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.47 $2.47

-25.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$8.05 $8.05

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$8.88 $8.88

-42.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.11 $1.11

-21.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.72 $3.72

-54.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.37 $3.37

9.20%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$4.32 $4.32

-14.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 $8.79

$13.13 $13.13

-33.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$14.15 $14.15

-53.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 $15.41

$16.33 $16.33

-5.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$4.55 $4.55

19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.46 $1.46

45.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.71 $4.71

0.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$4.15 $4.15

3.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.58 $2.58

-26.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.35 $2.35

27.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.77 $1.77

13.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.14 $2.14

36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.02 $9.02

$10.10 $10.10

-10.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$15.19 $15.19

-0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.82 $2.82

-35.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.44 $3.44

-42.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.80 $2.80

6.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.60 $1.60

-16.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.73 $24.73

$34.34 $34.34

-27.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.94 $0.94

8.51%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$34.0K $34.0K

-28.53%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.8K $26.8K

1.32%

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

$273 $273

$223 $223

22.66%

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

$62.3 $62.3

$58.9 $58.9

5.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$70.6 $70.6

4.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 $56.1

$57.7 $57.7

-2.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.94 $5.94

$16.53 $16.53

-64.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.42 $12.42

$14.26 $14.26

-12.90%

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

$992 $992

$1,511 $1,511

-34.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$20.9K $20.9K

-8.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.42 $29.42

$51.3 $51.3

-42.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.22 $39.22

$44.17 $44.17

-11.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 $95.6

$87.0 $87.0

9.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$104 $104

17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 $1,018

$1,940 $1,940

-47.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 $850

$1,316 $1,316

-35.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$3,664 $3,664

-59.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 $1,224

$2,565 $2,565

-52.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,619 $1,619

$7,354 $7,354

-77.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 $1,585

$3,129 $3,129

-49.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,554 $7,554

$5,286 $5,286

42.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.79

-3.24%

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

Last update for Kearney, NE: October 17, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kearney, NE

$850 40.8%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 54.8% $466

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kearney, NE

$409 19.6%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 13.9% $57

Groceries & Markets

Kearney, NE

$339 16.3%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 19.8% $67

Eating Out

Kearney, NE

$266 12.8%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 31.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Kearney, NE

$129 6.2%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kearney, NE

$81 3.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 6.6% $5.3

Getting Around

Kearney, NE

$9.7 * 0.5%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 497% $48

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 $1,018 in Kearney, NE and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kearney, NE pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Kearney, NE vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $406 per month, with Kearney, NE cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

Same time as Kearney, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,385

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kearney, NE Austin, TX 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kearney, NE
Austin, TX

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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

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

Kearney, NE wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kearney, NE the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Kearney, NE, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Kearney, NE versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $992 in Kearney, NE 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 Kearney, NE – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,083 in Kearney, NE versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kearney, NE but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kearney, NE 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, Kearney, NE 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 Kearney, NE gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.