Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mackay: $2,222 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
129

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

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,222

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,222 in Mackay versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Mackay $2,222
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,485 in Mackay versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Mackay $3,485
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Mackay versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Mackay $4,748
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Mackay costs roughly 18% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mackay 66% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$24.98

$20.22 $20.22

-14.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 A$108

$85.0 $85.0

-11.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 A$17.99

$12.35 $12.35

1.46%

Cappuccino

$4.14 A$5.94

$5.47 $5.47

-24.31%

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

$3.38 A$4.86

$3.82 $3.82

-11.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 A$3.89

$2.50 $2.50

8.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 A$9.84

$8.06 $8.06

-15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 A$10.14

$8.99 $8.99

-21.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 A$2.78

$1.13 $1.13

70.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 A$3.74

$3.78 $3.78

-31.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.11

$3.25 $3.25

-12.00%

Eggs

$5.65 A$8.12

$4.14 $4.14

36.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 A$13.84

$13.08 $13.08

-26.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 A$12.11

$14.31 $14.31

-41.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 A$23.38

$15.96 $15.96

2.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 A$5.20

$4.38 $4.38

-17.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.30

$1.45 $1.45

106.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.29

$4.54 $4.54

-34.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 A$9.51

$4.19 $4.19

58.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.59

$2.63 $2.63

-4.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.69

$2.36 $2.36

8.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 A$4.42

$1.76 $1.76

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.44

$2.16 $2.16

43.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.90 A$61.6

$9.81 $9.81

337.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 A$12.24

$14.72 $14.72

-42.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.99 A$7.17

$2.78 $2.78

79.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 A$8.99

$3.48 $3.48

79.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 A$3.58

$1.49 $1.49

67.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 A$102

$40.51 $40.51

74.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 A$8.35

$2.67 $2.67

117.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 A$3.03

$1.58 $1.58

33.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.59 A$49.68

$35.29 $35.29

-1.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.99 $0.99

22.22%

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

$27.2K A$39.1K

$35.8K $35.8K

-24.03%

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

$35.4K A$50.9K

$27.2K $27.2K

30.34%

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

$230 A$330

$219 $219

4.70%

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

$29.33 A$42.13

$58.0 $58.0

-49.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 A$114

$68.4 $68.4

16.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 A$74.4

$57.9 $57.9

-10.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 A$29.63

$14.82 $14.82

39.20%

Cinema Ticket

$16.88 A$24.24

$14.13 $14.13

19.46%

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

$1,856 A$2,666

$1,509 $1,509

23.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,749 A$9,694

$21.5K $21.5K

-68.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$101

$51.7 $51.7

36.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$73.3

$44.05 $44.05

15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 A$182

$85.1 $85.1

49.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$105 $105

-0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 A$1,360

$1,932 $1,932

-51.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 A$1,152

$1,272 $1,272

-36.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 A$2,684

$3,670 $3,670

-49.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 A$2,563

$2,525 $2,525

-29.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 A$4,475

$7,617 $7,617

-59.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,738 A$2,496

$3,199 $3,199

-45.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,620 A$8,073

$5,105 $5,105

10.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

6.79

-17.08%

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

Last update for Mackay: 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

Mackay

$802 36.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 58.6% $470

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$397 18.2%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 1.5% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$338 15.5%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 2.2% $7.3

Eating Out

Mackay

$299 13.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 16.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$159 7.3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 18.9% $30

Getting Around

Mackay

$97 4.5%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 41.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$86 3.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 0.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Mackay and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mackay pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $75.0 in Mackay vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $403 per month, with Mackay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

15 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

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 →

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Between locations

Mackay Austin, TX 13,320 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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

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

Mackay wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mackay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Mackay, 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: $947 in Mackay 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 $2,222 per month in Mackay versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mackay runs roughly 75% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,222 in Mackay versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mackay but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mackay 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, Mackay 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 Mackay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.