Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mardan and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $492 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mardan
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$492
/mo nomad
Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,663
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $492 in Mardan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

  • Mardan $492
  • Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $768 in Mardan versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

  • Mardan $768
  • Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,045 in Mardan versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

  • Mardan $1,045
  • Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Mardan costs roughly 82% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mardan is 64% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.54 PKR 980
$20.77 $20.77
-82.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.75 PKR 6,572
$84.6 $84.6
-71.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.44 PKR 1,506
$12.32 $12.32
-55.84%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 PKR 1,023
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.81 PKR 1,885
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.72 PKR 753
$5.63 $5.63
-51.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 PKR 89.6
$3.72 $3.72
-91.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 PKR 63.8
$2.50 $2.50
-90.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$8.05 $8.05
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.01 $9.01
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.91 PKR 252
$1.12 $1.12
-18.75%
White Bread (500g)
$0.72 PKR 199
$3.75 $3.75
-80.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 PKR 354
$3.26 $3.26
-60.74%
Eggs
$1.16 PKR 320
$4.17 $4.17
-72.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.82 PKR 781
$12.90 $12.90
-78.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.14 PKR 870
$14.16 $14.16
-77.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.89 PKR 1,076
$16.22 $16.22
-76.02%
Apples (1kg)
$0.93 PKR 258
$4.33 $4.33
-78.52%
Banana (1kg)
$0.71 PKR 196
$1.46 $1.46
-51.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.07 PKR 296
$4.51 $4.51
-76.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.38 PKR 104
$4.34 $4.34
-91.24%
Potato (1kg)
$0.27 PKR 73.8
$2.58 $2.58
-89.53%
Onion (1kg)
$0.36 PKR 99.1
$2.35 $2.35
-84.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.28 PKR 77.1
$1.78 $1.78
-84.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.37 PKR 103
$2.22 $2.22
-83.33%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.79 PKR 495
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 PKR 332
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 PKR 651
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.83 PKR 507
$9.88 $9.88
-81.48%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$15.08 $15.08
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.92 $2.92
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.46 $3.46
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.16 PKR 43.24
$1.49 $1.49
-89.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.19 PKR 2,821
$41.72 $41.72
-75.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.25 PKR 346
$2.73 $2.73
-54.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 PKR 192
$1.66 $1.66
-58.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.58 PKR 436
$35.30 $35.30
-95.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 PKR 292
$0.95 $0.95
11.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K PKR 6.0M
$36.0K $36.0K
-39.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K PKR 6.8M
$27.1K $27.1K
-9.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 PKR 27.9K
$229 $229
-56.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.88 PKR 1,628
$59.4 $59.4
-90.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.89 PKR 4,674
$69.9 $69.9
-75.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.54 PKR 4,578
$57.2 $57.2
-71.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.15 PKR 1,978
$16.33 $16.33
-56.22%
Cinema Ticket
$4.42 PKR 1,224
$14.28 $14.28
-69.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$75.8 PKR 21.0K
$1,506 $1,506
-94.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,028 PKR 284.5K
$21.5K $21.5K
-95.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.76 PKR 7,131
$52.8 $52.8
-51.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.46 PKR 9,537
$43.82 $43.82
-21.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 PKR 26.2K
$84.8 $84.8
11.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.80 PKR 11.3K
$103 $103
-60.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$127 PKR 35.0K
$1,907 $1,907
-93.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$75.6 PKR 20.9K
$1,274 $1,274
-94.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$253 PKR 69.9K
$3,664 $3,664
-93.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$149 PKR 41.3K
$2,538 $2,538
-94.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$830 PKR 229.7K
$7,614 $7,614
-89.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$443 PKR 122.7K
$3,157 $3,157
-85.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mardan
Austin, TX
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$5,121 $5,121
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.08
6.79
92.64%

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

Last update for Mardan: October 11, 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
Mardan
$123
Austin, TX
$358 190% $235
Clothing & Footwear
Mardan
$88
Austin, TX
$128 45.4% $40
Groceries & Markets
Mardan
$84
Austin, TX
$405 381% $321
Eating Out
Mardan
$80
Austin, TX
$354 345% $274
Accommodation & Living
Mardan
$76
Austin, TX
$1.3K 1584% $1.2K
Sport & Entertainment
Mardan
$25
Austin, TX
$86 238% $60
Getting Around
Mardan
$16
Austin, TX
$59 278% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $127 in Mardan and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Mardan vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $84.0 vs $405 per month, with Mardan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Mardan
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🕒 Local time
07:00 7:00 AM
21:00 9:00 PM
10 h behind Mardan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
358,604
974,447
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mardan Austin, TX 12,770 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mardan
  • 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
Mardan vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mardan or Austin, TX?
Mardan wins on cost – living expenses run 442% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mardan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mardan and in Austin, TX?
You'd need roughly $737 in Mardan 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mardan compared to Austin, TX?
Rent for a central apartment: $127 in Mardan versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Mardan compared to Austin, TX?
All in, you'll spend $492 per month in Mardan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 442% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Mardan compared to Austin, TX?
A monthly transit pass in Mardan runs roughly 309% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Mardan or in Austin, TX?
At $492 in Mardan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mardan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mardan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mardan or Austin, TX?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Mardan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 442% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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