Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Messina and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Messina: $1,359 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Messina
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Messina Living Index
130

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

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Messina

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,359

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,359 in Messina versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Messina $1,359
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,355 in Messina versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Messina $2,355
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,350 in Messina versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Messina $3,350
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Messina costs roughly 49% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Messina 1% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 €13.33

$20.77 $20.77

-27.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.0

$84.6 $84.6

-21.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.05

$12.32 $12.32

0.89%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$5.63 $5.63

-64.65%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$3.72 $3.72

-36.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.50 $2.50

-52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.56 €4.06

$8.05 $8.05

-43.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.97

$9.01 $9.01

-62.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.12 $1.12

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 €1.56

$3.75 $3.75

-53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.26 $3.26

-12.88%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$4.17 $4.17

-28.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.27 €12.69

$12.90 $12.90

10.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 €9.47

$14.16 $14.16

-24.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.16 €15.26

$16.22 $16.22

5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 €2.59

$4.33 $4.33

-32.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.46 $1.46

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$4.51 $4.51

-74.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 €3.07

$4.34 $4.34

-20.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 €0.57

$2.58 $2.58

-75.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.35 $2.35

-35.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.78 $1.78

-20.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 €0.38

$2.22 $2.22

-81.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.73 €5.99

$9.88 $9.88

-31.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$15.08 $15.08

-63.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.48

$2.92 $2.92

-42.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$3.46 $3.46

-33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.49 $1.49

14.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.41 €37.72

$41.72 $41.72

1.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 €4.83

$2.73 $2.73

98.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.66 $1.66

-33.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.71 €33.54

$35.30 $35.30

6.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$0.95 $0.95

110.53%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

-3.43%

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

$31.4K €27.9K

$27.1K $27.1K

15.93%

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

$171 €152

$229 $229

-25.35%

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

$10.20 €9.08

$59.4 $59.4

-82.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.12 €23.23

$69.9 $69.9

-62.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.80 €41.63

$57.2 $57.2

-18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 €14.78

$16.33 $16.33

1.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 €7.74

$14.28 $14.28

-39.08%

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

$338 €301

$1,506 $1,506

-77.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,643 €5,020

$21.5K $21.5K

-73.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 €63.6

$52.8 $52.8

35.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 €27.10

$43.82 $43.82

-30.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 €77.3

$84.8 $84.8

2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$103 $103

22.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 €466

$1,907 $1,907

-72.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 €333

$1,274 $1,274

-70.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 €1,069

$3,664 $3,664

-67.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 €968

$2,538 $2,538

-57.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,033 €1,808

$7,614 $7,614

-73.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 €1,433

$3,157 $3,157

-48.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,640 €1,459

$5,121 $5,121

-67.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

6.79

-50.07%

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

Last update for Messina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Messina

$374 27.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 240% $900

Groceries & Markets

Messina

$287 21.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 41.1% $118

Eating Out

Messina

$225 16.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 57.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Messina

$207 15.3%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 72.9% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Messina

$142 10.5%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 9.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Messina

$64 4.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 33.6% $22

Getting Around

Messina

$60 4.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 2.4% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $524 in Messina and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 212% 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: $66.0 in Messina vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $405 per month, with Messina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Messina

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

07:17 7:17 AM

7 h behind Messina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,734

974,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Messina Austin, TX 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Messina
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

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

Messina wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Messina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 212% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $524 in Messina versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,359 per month in Messina versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Messina runs roughly 2% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,359 in Messina versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Messina but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Messina 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.

Expats usually find Messina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.