Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Podgorica and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Podgorica: $1,315 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index
129

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

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Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,315

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,315 in Podgorica versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Podgorica $1,315
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,079 in Podgorica versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Podgorica $2,079
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,844 in Podgorica versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Podgorica $2,844
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Podgorica costs roughly 51% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Podgorica is 2% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.18 €9.98

$20.22 $20.22

-44.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.17 €40.31

$85.0 $85.0

-46.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 €9.58

$12.35 $12.35

-13.12%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$5.47 $5.47

-61.24%

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

$2.52 €2.25

$3.82 $3.82

-34.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.50 $2.50

-41.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 €2.73

$8.06 $8.06

-62.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$8.99 $8.99

-63.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.13 $1.13

17.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 €0.91

$3.78 $3.78

-73.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.25 $3.25

-40.92%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$4.14 $4.14

-12.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 €7.86

$13.08 $13.08

-32.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 €7.59

$14.31 $14.31

-40.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 €10.97

$15.96 $15.96

-22.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$4.38 $4.38

-63.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.45 $1.45

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$4.54 $4.54

-60.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$4.19 $4.19

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 €0.88

$2.63 $2.63

-62.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 €0.91

$2.36 $2.36

-56.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.76 $1.76

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$2.16 $2.16

-61.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 €3.95

$9.81 $9.81

-54.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.10

$14.72 $14.72

-61.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.78 $2.78

-62.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$3.48 $3.48

-50.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.49 $1.49

-30.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.52 €29.91

$40.51 $40.51

-17.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 €0.65

$2.67 $2.67

-72.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.58 $1.58

-52.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.39 €10.16

$35.29 $35.29

-67.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.99 $0.99

92.93%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$35.8K $35.8K

-16.01%

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

$26.4K €23.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

-2.99%

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

$126 €112

$219 $219

-42.51%

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

$19.15 €17.09

$58.0 $58.0

-66.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 €28.07

$68.4 $68.4

-53.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.97 €43.70

$57.9 $57.9

-15.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.71 €12.24

$14.82 $14.82

-7.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 €5.81

$14.13 $14.13

-53.93%

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

$336 €300

$1,509 $1,509

-77.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,417 €6,619

$21.5K $21.5K

-65.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.8

$51.7 $51.7

66.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.19 €41.22

$44.05 $44.05

4.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$85.1 $85.1

15.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.2

$105 $105

2.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 €571

$1,932 $1,932

-66.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 €433

$1,272 $1,272

-61.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 €1,165

$3,670 $3,670

-64.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 €883

$2,525 $2,525

-60.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,074 €2,743

$7,617 $7,617

-59.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,329 €2,078

$3,199 $3,199

-27.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,158 €1,033

$5,105 $5,105

-77.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

6.79

-23.12%

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

Last update for Podgorica: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Podgorica

$485 36.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 162% $787

Groceries & Markets

Podgorica

$229 17.2%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 75.8% $174

Eating Out

Podgorica

$185 13.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 88.2% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Podgorica

$177 13.3%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 95.7% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Podgorica

$152 11.4%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 15.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Podgorica

$62 4.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 39% $24

Getting Around

Podgorica

$42 3.2%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 35.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Podgorica and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 341% 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: $45.00 in Podgorica vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $403 per month, with Podgorica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

22:28 10:28 PM

7 h behind Podgorica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,799 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Podgorica Austin, TX 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Podgorica
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

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

Podgorica wins on cost – living expenses run 106% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Podgorica the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 341% 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: $640 in Podgorica 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 $1,315 per month in Podgorica versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Podgorica runs roughly 21% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,315 in Podgorica versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Podgorica but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Podgorica 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, Podgorica 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 Podgorica gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.