Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $3,142 in Piscataway, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Piscataway, NJ outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

155

Cost of Living Index in Piscataway, NJ
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Piscataway, NJ Living Index
130

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

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Piscataway, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,142

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,142 in Piscataway, NJ versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Piscataway, NJ $3,142
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,508 in Piscataway, NJ versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Piscataway, NJ $4,508
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,874 in Piscataway, NJ versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Piscataway, NJ $5,874
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Piscataway, NJ is roughly 18% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Piscataway, NJ 133% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 $14.87

$20.77 $20.77

-28.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$84.6 $84.6

-6.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 $12.79

$12.32 $12.32

3.81%

Cappuccino

$4.58 $4.58

$5.63 $5.63

-18.65%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$3.72 $3.72

-31.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.50 $2.50

-40.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$8.05 $8.05

-23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.79 $7.79

$9.01 $9.01

-13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.12 $1.12

13.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.75 $3.75

14.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.26 $3.26

4.29%

Eggs

$3.54 $3.54

$4.17 $4.17

-15.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$12.90 $12.90

-13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 $10.35

$14.16 $14.16

-26.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 $13.56

$16.22 $16.22

-16.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.33 $4.33

-24.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$4.51 $4.51

-27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$4.34 $4.34

2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.58 $2.58

-22.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.35 $2.35

-8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.78 $1.78

13.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.22 $2.22

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.39 $17.39

$9.88 $9.88

76.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$15.08 $15.08

-0.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.92 $2.92

-39.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.46 $3.46

-14.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.49 $1.49

33.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.73 $2.73

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.66 $1.66

27.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.55 $42.55

$35.30 $35.30

20.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$0.95 $0.95

-12.63%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$36.0K $36.0K

-2.40%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$27.1K $27.1K

-7.54%

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

$174 $174

$229 $229

-24.15%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$59.4 $59.4

-14.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.24 $49.24

$69.9 $69.9

-29.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.43 $41.43

$57.2 $57.2

-27.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$17.53 $17.53

$14.28 $14.28

22.76%

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

$1,976 $1,976

$1,506 $1,506

31.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-24.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.28 $49.28

$52.8 $52.8

-6.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.47 $40.47

$43.82 $43.82

-7.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 $84.0

$84.8 $84.8

-0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 $90.0

$103 $103

-12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 $2,105

$1,907 $1,907

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 $2,026

$1,274 $1,274

59.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,943 $3,943

$3,664 $3,664

7.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,346 $3,346

$2,538 $2,538

31.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 $2,744

$7,614 $7,614

-63.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,445 $2,445

$3,157 $3,157

-22.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,600 $4,600

$5,121 $5,121

-10.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

6.79

-4.27%

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

Last update for Piscataway, NJ: 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

Piscataway, NJ

$2K 64.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 37.1% $752

Groceries & Markets

Piscataway, NJ

$351 11.2%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 15.4% $54

Eating Out

Piscataway, NJ

$275 8.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 28.8% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piscataway, NJ

$274 8.7%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 30.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Piscataway, NJ

$119 3.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 7.8% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Piscataway, NJ

$76 2.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 12.2% $9.3

Getting Around

Piscataway, NJ

$21 * 0.7%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 174% $37

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 $2,105 in Piscataway, NJ and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Piscataway, NJ vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $405 per month, with Piscataway, NJ cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Piscataway, NJ

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

1 h behind Piscataway, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,658

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

Piscataway, NJ Austin, TX 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Piscataway, NJ
Austin, TX

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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

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

Piscataway, NJ and Austin, TX differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($3,142 vs $2,663 including rent). Austin, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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: $2,105 in Piscataway, NJ versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,976 in Piscataway, NJ 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 Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $79.0 in Piscataway, NJ. 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.

Safety-wise, Piscataway, NJ 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Piscataway, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.