Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
130

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

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Masterton versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Masterton $832
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,432 in Masterton versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Masterton $1,432
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Masterton versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Masterton $2,032
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Masterton costs roughly 69% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.54 NZ$16.88

$20.77 $20.77

-54.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 NZ$115

$84.6 $84.6

-23.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$12.32 $12.32

-30.52%

Cappuccino

$3.18 NZ$5.62

$5.63 $5.63

-43.52%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$3.72 $3.72

-45.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$2.50 $2.50

-56.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 NZ$6.88

$8.05 $8.05

-51.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.79

$9.01 $9.01

-63.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 NZ$2.51

$1.12 $1.12

26.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$3.75 $3.75

-41.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$3.26 $3.26

-68.40%

Eggs

$6.32 NZ$11.17

$4.17 $4.17

51.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 NZ$14.65

$12.90 $12.90

-35.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.76

$14.16 $14.16

-33.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 NZ$26.85

$16.22 $16.22

-6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$4.33 $4.33

-49.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$1.46 $1.46

17.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.27

$4.51 $4.51

-33.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 NZ$8.11

$4.34 $4.34

5.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.71

$2.58 $2.58

-40.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$2.35 $2.35

-54.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.78 $1.78

-4.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.92

$2.22 $2.22

-76.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.51 NZ$34.50

$9.88 $9.88

97.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 NZ$19.83

$15.08 $15.08

-25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NZ$1.50

$2.92 $2.92

-70.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$3.46 $3.46

-67.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$1.49 $1.49

49.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$2.73 $2.73

-33.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.66 $1.66

5.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.16 NZ$60.4

$35.30 $35.30

-3.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.12

$0.95 $0.95

86.32%

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

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

-38.85%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$27.1K $27.1K

-8.30%

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

$55.0 NZ$97.3

$229 $229

-75.97%

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

$29.34 NZ$51.9

$59.4 $59.4

-50.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 NZ$93.3

$69.9 $69.9

-24.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 NZ$73.9

$57.2 $57.2

-26.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.51 NZ$15.06

$16.33 $16.33

-47.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NZ$17.12

$14.28 $14.28

-32.21%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$1,506 $1,506

-29.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

$21.5K $21.5K

-40.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 NZ$98.3

$52.8 $52.8

5.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 NZ$48.79

$43.82 $43.82

-37.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$84.8 $84.8

20.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 NZ$251

$103 $103

37.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 NZ$1,773

$3,664 $3,664

-72.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,327 NZ$4,115

$5,121 $5,121

-54.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.79

-20.62%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$288 34.7%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 40.4% $116

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 98.2% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$147 17.7%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 13.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$137 16.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 161% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 40.3% $25

Getting Around

Masterton

$19 * 2.3%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 202% $39

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays 120% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65.0 in Masterton vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $405 per month, with Masterton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

16:48 4:48 PM

18 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

974,447

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Masterton Austin, TX 11,890 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

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

Masterton wins on cost – living expenses run 220% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Masterton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 120% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $1,056 in Masterton 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 Masterton – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $832 in Masterton versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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, Masterton 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 Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 220% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.