Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mossel Bay and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,103 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index
130

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

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Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,103

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Mossel Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Mossel Bay $1,103
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,738 in Mossel Bay versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Mossel Bay $1,738
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,374 in Mossel Bay versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Mossel Bay $2,374
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Mossel Bay costs roughly 59% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mossel Bay is 18% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.78 R 244

$20.77 $20.77

-28.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.61 R 784

$84.6 $84.6

-43.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 R 144

$12.32 $12.32

-28.90%

Cappuccino

$2.60 R 42.86

$5.63 $5.63

-53.82%

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

$1.33 R 21.90

$3.72 $3.72

-64.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.68

$2.50 $2.50

-62.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.23

$8.05 $8.05

-69.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 R 48.42

$9.01 $9.01

-67.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.39

$1.12 $1.12

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.83

$3.75 $3.75

-71.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 R 43.02

$3.26 $3.26

-19.94%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.8

$4.17 $4.17

-25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 R 155

$12.90 $12.90

-27.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 83.1

$14.16 $14.16

-64.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.11 R 134

$16.22 $16.22

-50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.86

$4.33 $4.33

-55.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R 21.82

$1.46 $1.46

-9.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.81

$4.51 $4.51

-59.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.64

$4.34 $4.34

-53.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$2.58 $2.58

-42.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.53

$2.35 $2.35

-28.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.15

$1.78 $1.78

-31.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.20

$2.22 $2.22

-44.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$9.88 $9.88

-63.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 R 81.2

$15.08 $15.08

-67.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.10

$2.92 $2.92

-27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.09

$3.46 $3.46

-43.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 R 23.39

$1.49 $1.49

-4.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 R 9.09

$2.73 $2.73

-79.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.22

$1.66 $1.66

-44.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 R 180

$35.30 $35.30

-69.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.89

$0.95 $0.95

52.63%

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

$29.3K R 482.2K

$36.0K $36.0K

-18.81%

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

$27.8K R 457.3K

$27.1K $27.1K

2.52%

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

$109 R 1,797

$229 $229

-52.38%

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

$18.50 R 305

$59.4 $59.4

-68.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.39 R 698

$69.9 $69.9

-39.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.17 R 349

$57.2 $57.2

-63.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.96 R 181

$16.33 $16.33

-32.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.13 R 117

$14.28 $14.28

-50.07%

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

$224 R 3,687

$1,506 $1,506

-85.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,534 R 91.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-74.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.68 R 802

$52.8 $52.8

-7.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.49 R 338

$43.82 $43.82

-53.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 R 1,641

$84.8 $84.8

17.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 R 1,120

$103 $103

-34.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 R 8,319

$1,907 $1,907

-73.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 R 6,066

$1,274 $1,274

-71.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 R 17.0K

$3,664 $3,664

-71.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 R 11.6K

$2,538 $2,538

-72.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$599 R 9,866

$7,614 $7,614

-92.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 R 9,998

$3,157 $3,157

-80.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 R 24.2K

$5,121 $5,121

-71.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

6.79

73.05%

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

Last update for Mossel Bay: 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

Mossel Bay

$368 33.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 246% $906

Groceries & Markets

Mossel Bay

$209 19%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 93.2% $195

Eating Out

Mossel Bay

$203 18.4%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 74.4% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mossel Bay

$170 15.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 111% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Mossel Bay

$107 9.7%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 20.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 142% $50

Getting Around

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 441% $48

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 $505 in Mossel Bay and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 248% 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: $48.00 in Mossel Bay vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $405 per month, with Mossel Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

02:22 2:22 AM

7 h behind Mossel Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

974,447

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mossel Bay Austin, TX 14,430 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mossel Bay
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

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

Mossel Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 141% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mossel Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 248% 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: $505 in Mossel Bay versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,103 in Mossel Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mossel Bay but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mossel Bay 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, Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.