Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moses Lake, WA and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Moses Lake, WA: $2,339 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Moses Lake, WA
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Moses Lake, WA Living Index
130

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

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Moses Lake, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,339

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,339 in Moses Lake, WA versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Moses Lake, WA $2,339
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,512 in Moses Lake, WA versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Moses Lake, WA $3,512
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,685 in Moses Lake, WA versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Moses Lake, WA $4,685
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Moses Lake, WA costs roughly 12% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Moses Lake, WA 73% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 $18.16

$20.77 $20.77

-12.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$84.6 $84.6

-6.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$12.32 $12.32

-1.22%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$5.63 $5.63

-17.76%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$3.72 $3.72

-20.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.50 $2.50

-2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 $4.42

$8.05 $8.05

-45.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$9.01 $9.01

-8.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.12 $1.12

-33.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.75 $3.75

4.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.26 $3.26

29.45%

Eggs

$3.37 $3.37

$4.17 $4.17

-19.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 $9.18

$12.90 $12.90

-28.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 $11.39

$14.16 $14.16

-19.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$16.22 $16.22

-16.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$4.33 $4.33

40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.46 $1.46

14.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$4.51 $4.51

17.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.34 $4.34

27.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.58 $2.58

37.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.35 $2.35

36.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.78 $1.78

60.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.22 $2.22

-3.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$9.88 $9.88

14.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$15.08 $15.08

-2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.92 $2.92

-38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.46 $3.46

16.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.49 $1.49

35.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.73 $2.73

-10.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.66 $1.66

-5.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.42 $30.42

$35.30 $35.30

-13.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.95 $0.95

16.84%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$36.0K $36.0K

-14.56%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$27.1K $27.1K

-5.61%

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

$155 $155

$229 $229

-32.25%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$59.4 $59.4

16.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.6 $76.6

$69.9 $69.9

9.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 $40.77

$57.2 $57.2

-28.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 $11.93

$14.28 $14.28

-16.46%

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

$1,131 $1,131

$1,506 $1,506

-24.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

43.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$52.8 $52.8

-0.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.78 $24.78

$43.82 $43.82

-43.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.41 $47.41

$84.8 $84.8

-44.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 $81.1

$103 $103

-21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 $1,491

$1,907 $1,907

-21.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 $1,173

$1,274 $1,274

-7.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 $2,281

$3,664 $3,664

-37.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,046 $2,046

$2,538 $2,538

-19.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 $2,678

$7,614 $7,614

-64.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,822 $2,822

$3,157 $3,157

-10.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,110 $9,110

$5,121 $5,121

77.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.79

0.88%

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

Last update for Moses Lake, WA: 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

Moses Lake, WA

$1.2K 50.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 8.7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Moses Lake, WA

$393 16.8%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 3.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moses Lake, WA

$301 12.9%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 19% $57

Eating Out

Moses Lake, WA

$298 12.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 18.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Moses Lake, WA

$93 4%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 38.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Moses Lake, WA

$65 2.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 32.7% $21

Getting Around

Moses Lake, WA

$18 * 0.8%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 220% $40

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 $1,491 in Moses Lake, WA and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moses Lake, WA pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80.0 in Moses Lake, WA vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $405 per month, with Moses Lake, WA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Moses Lake, WA

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

2 h ahead of Moses Lake, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,146

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Moses Lake, WA Austin, TX 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Moses Lake, WA
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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

Moses Lake, WA vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moses Lake, WA wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Moses Lake, WA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Moses Lake, WA, 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: $1,491 in Moses Lake, WA versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,131 in Moses Lake, WA 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 Moses Lake, WA – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $85.0 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. Moses Lake, WA 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.

Expats usually find Moses Lake, WA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.