Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index
130

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

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Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $959 in Polokwane versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Polokwane $959
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,417 in Polokwane versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Polokwane $1,417
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,875 in Polokwane versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Polokwane $1,875
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Polokwane costs roughly 64% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Polokwane is 29% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 R 202

$20.77 $20.77

-41.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 R 489

$84.6 $84.6

-64.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 123

$12.32 $12.32

-39.45%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.26

$5.63 $5.63

-57.73%

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

$0.77 R 12.68

$3.72 $3.72

-79.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.47

$2.50 $2.50

-64.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R 27.65

$8.05 $8.05

-79.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.95

$9.01 $9.01

-79.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.71

$1.12 $1.12

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$3.75 $3.75

-71.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$3.26 $3.26

-47.85%

Eggs

$2.65 R 43.69

$4.17 $4.17

-36.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R 129

$12.90 $12.90

-39.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R 75.6

$14.16 $14.16

-67.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 99.6

$16.22 $16.22

-62.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.19

$4.33 $4.33

-53.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$1.46 $1.46

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$4.51 $4.51

-59.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.30

$4.34 $4.34

-54.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.49

$2.58 $2.58

-35.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.73

$2.35 $2.35

-36.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.48

$1.78 $1.78

-37.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.46

$2.22 $2.22

-63.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R 44.22

$9.88 $9.88

-72.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.2

$15.08 $15.08

-67.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$2.92 $2.92

-60.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 26.54

$3.46 $3.46

-53.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.22

$1.49 $1.49

-38.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 R 495

$41.72 $41.72

-28.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 R 14.41

$2.73 $2.73

-68.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.66

$1.66 $1.66

-42.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$35.30 $35.30

-59.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.52

$0.95 $0.95

50.53%

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

$26.1K R 430.1K

$36.0K $36.0K

-27.58%

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

$28.5K R 469.0K

$27.1K $27.1K

5.14%

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

$138 R 2,281

$229 $229

-39.53%

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

$38.10 R 628

$59.4 $59.4

-35.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.99 R 544

$69.9 $69.9

-52.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.29 R 384

$57.2 $57.2

-59.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 132

$14.28 $14.28

-43.98%

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

$179 R 2,946

$1,506 $1,506

-88.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 R 23.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-93.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 R 746

$52.8 $52.8

-14.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 R 622

$43.82 $43.82

-13.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 R 1,328

$84.8 $84.8

-4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R 1,544

$103 $103

-9.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,785

$1,907 $1,907

-84.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R 3,338

$1,274 $1,274

-84.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,922

$3,664 $3,664

-88.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,683

$2,538 $2,538

-88.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

$5,121 $5,121

-73.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

6.79

60.68%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polokwane

$210 21.8%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 71% $149

Accommodation & Living

Polokwane

$203 21.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 529% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Polokwane

$185 19.3%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 119% $219

Eating Out

Polokwane

$168 17.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 111% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Polokwane

$116 12.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 10.5% $12

Getting Around

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 49.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 118% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Polokwane and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 281% 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: $30.00 in Polokwane vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $405 per month, with Polokwane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

06:27 6:27 AM

7 h behind Polokwane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,999

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

Polokwane Austin, TX 14,790 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Polokwane
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

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

Polokwane wins on cost – living expenses run 178% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Polokwane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 281% 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: $290 in Polokwane versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $959 per month in Polokwane versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 178% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Polokwane runs roughly 39% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $959 in Polokwane versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polokwane but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Polokwane 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 Polokwane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 178% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.