Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,036 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
129

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

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Pietermaritzburg $1,036
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,560 in Pietermaritzburg versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Pietermaritzburg $1,560
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,083 in Pietermaritzburg versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Pietermaritzburg $2,083
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Pietermaritzburg costs roughly 62% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pietermaritzburg is 23% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.91 R 130

$20.22 $20.22

-60.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 R 588

$85.0 $85.0

-58.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 R 92.6

$12.35 $12.35

-54.57%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.86

$5.47 $5.47

-58.14%

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

$1.16 R 19.12

$3.82 $3.82

-69.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.08

$2.50 $2.50

-61.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 R 36.89

$8.06 $8.06

-72.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.25

$8.99 $8.99

-71.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.88

$1.13 $1.13

17.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.45

$3.78 $3.78

-73.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.78

$3.25 $3.25

-46.46%

Eggs

$3.20 R 52.7

$4.14 $4.14

-22.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 R 114

$13.08 $13.08

-47.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 R 81.8

$14.31 $14.31

-65.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.57 R 108

$15.96 $15.96

-58.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.40

$4.38 $4.38

-53.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.45 $1.45

31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.35

$4.54 $4.54

-51.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 34.00

$4.19 $4.19

-50.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.92

$2.63 $2.63

-33.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.93

$2.36 $2.36

-25.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R 25.31

$1.76 $1.76

-13.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.98

$2.16 $2.16

-49.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R 49.69

$9.81 $9.81

-69.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.94 R 65.0

$14.72 $14.72

-73.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.72

$2.78 $2.78

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.70

$3.48 $3.48

-48.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 R 46.92

$1.49 $1.49

90.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 R 323

$40.51 $40.51

-51.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 R 27.23

$2.67 $2.67

-38.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 R 17.60

$1.58 $1.58

-32.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.49

$0.99 $0.99

43.43%

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

$26.7K R 440.1K

$35.8K $35.8K

-25.49%

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

$26.2K R 432.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

-3.53%

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

$206 R 3,398

$219 $219

-6.08%

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

$31.68 R 523

$58.0 $58.0

-45.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.96 R 610

$68.4 $68.4

-45.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.95 R 725

$57.9 $57.9

-24.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 R 50.1

$14.82 $14.82

-79.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 R 77.8

$14.13 $14.13

-66.60%

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

$181 R 2,993

$1,509 $1,509

-87.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 R 85.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-75.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$51.7 $51.7

7.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.93 R 560

$44.05 $44.05

-22.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,910

$85.1 $85.1

36.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 R 1,137

$105 $105

-34.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 R 3,607

$1,932 $1,932

-88.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 R 3,670

$1,272 $1,272

-82.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 R 9,593

$3,670 $3,670

-84.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 R 6,698

$2,525 $2,525

-83.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,971 R 98.5K

$7,617 $7,617

-21.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$149 R 2,455

$3,199 $3,199

-95.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,074 R 17.7K

$5,105 $5,105

-78.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

6.79

71.87%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.4%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 25.9% $71

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$222 21.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 472% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$195 18.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 106% $208

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 163% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$123 11.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 4.4% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 61.4% $33

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 50.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $219 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 375% 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: $36.00 in Pietermaritzburg vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $403 per month, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

7 h behind Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

974,447

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Austin, TX 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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

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

Pietermaritzburg wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pietermaritzburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 375% 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: $219 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,036 per month in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pietermaritzburg runs roughly 107% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pietermaritzburg but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.