Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montclair, NJ and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,607 a month against $2,899 in Montclair, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Montclair, NJ
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Montclair, NJ Living Index
125

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

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Montclair, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,899

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,899 in Montclair, NJ versus $2,607 in Austin, TX.

Montclair, NJ $2,899
Austin, TX $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,264 in Montclair, NJ versus $4,031 in Austin, TX.

Montclair, NJ $4,264
Austin, TX $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,629 in Montclair, NJ versus $5,454 in Austin, TX.

Montclair, NJ $5,629
Austin, TX $5,454

Living in Montclair, NJ is roughly 11% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montclair, NJ 113% above, Austin, TX 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 $20.04

$20.35 $20.35

-1.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$84.7 $84.7

-4.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 $13.14

$12.12 $12.12

8.42%

Cappuccino

$6.35 $6.35

$5.65 $5.65

12.39%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$3.68 $3.68

-33.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.36 $2.36

-38.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$7.87 $7.87

3.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$8.82 $8.82

-18.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.14 $1.14

11.40%

White Bread (500g)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.69 $3.69

21.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.31 $3.31

82.78%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$4.15 $4.15

47.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.76 $13.76

$12.98 $12.98

6.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$13.86 $13.86

-26.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.41 $19.41

$16.34 $16.34

18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.69 $4.69

28.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.45 $1.45

55.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$5.11 $5.11

-17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$4.52 $4.52

20.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.08 $3.08

1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.38 $2.38

26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.80 $1.80

61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.22 $2.22

22.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.55 $14.55

$9.97 $9.97

45.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$15.05 $15.05

0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.91 $2.91

-36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.33 $3.33

7.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.78 $2.78

10.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.65 $1.65

32.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$35.39 $35.39

20.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.95 $0.95

18.95%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.2K $34.2K

-19.34%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

-4.95%

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

$170 $170

$223 $223

-23.59%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$58.5 $58.5

-11.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$71.2 $71.2

-28.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.8 $80.8

$53.0 $53.0

52.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$20.23 $20.23

$14.06 $14.06

43.88%

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

$1,998 $1,998

$1,459 $1,459

36.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$21.3K $21.3K

-24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$52.5 $52.5

33.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$42.75 $42.75

19.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$86.4 $86.4

16.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$104 $104

15.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 $2,261

$2,112 $2,112

7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 $1,540

$1,230 $1,230

25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,631 $3,631

$3,863 $3,863

-6.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 $2,557

$2,407 $2,407

6.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

6.82

-0.29%

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

Last update for Montclair, NJ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montclair, NJ

$1.5K 53.1%

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2% 20.1% $309

Groceries & Markets

Montclair, NJ

$451 15.6%

Austin, TX

$410 15.7% 9.1% $41

Eating Out

Montclair, NJ

$347 12%

Austin, TX

$348 13.4% 0.4% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montclair, NJ

$273 9.4%

Austin, TX

$353 13.5% 29.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Montclair, NJ

$154 5.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.9% 16.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Montclair, NJ

$121 4.2%

Austin, TX

$81 3.1% 33.1% $40

Getting Around

Montclair, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Austin, TX

$56 2.2% 304% $42

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 $2,261 in Montclair, NJ and $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Montclair, NJ vs $85 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $451 vs $410, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montclair, NJ

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

1 h behind Montclair, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,669

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montclair, NJ Austin, TX 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montclair, NJ
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

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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Montclair, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,348 in Montclair, NJ and $3,911 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,261 in Montclair, NJ versus $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,998 in Montclair, NJ versus $1,459 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 Montclair, NJ – a meal for two runs $81 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.