Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Shepstone and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $987 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
Learn more

Port Shepstone Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$987

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $987 in Port Shepstone versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Port Shepstone $987
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,540 in Port Shepstone versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Port Shepstone $1,540
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,093 in Port Shepstone versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Port Shepstone $2,093
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Port Shepstone costs roughly 63% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Shepstone is 27% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 R 128

$20.77 $20.77

-62.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.69 R 637

$84.6 $84.6

-54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 R 97.8

$12.32 $12.32

-51.87%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 44.60

$5.63 $5.63

-51.87%

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

$1.09 R 17.89

$3.72 $3.72

-70.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 13.94

$2.50 $2.50

-66.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.48

$8.05 $8.05

-70.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R 41.57

$9.01 $9.01

-72.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R 15.28

$1.12 $1.12

-16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 R 11.57

$3.75 $3.75

-81.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.29

$3.26 $3.26

-64.11%

Eggs

$1.45 R 23.93

$4.17 $4.17

-65.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.07 R 117

$12.90 $12.90

-45.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 R 60.6

$14.16 $14.16

-74.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 R 117

$16.22 $16.22

-56.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.33

$4.33 $4.33

-72.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 R 12.43

$1.46 $1.46

-48.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 R 10.36

$4.51 $4.51

-86.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.20

$4.34 $4.34

-66.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 R 9.50

$2.58 $2.58

-77.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.63

$2.35 $2.35

-41.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R 14.36

$1.78 $1.78

-51.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 R 9.41

$2.22 $2.22

-74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 R 60.8

$9.88 $9.88

-62.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.1

$15.08 $15.08

-68.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R 23.94

$2.92 $2.92

-50.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.31

$3.46 $3.46

-46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 R 24.12

$1.49 $1.49

-2.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 R 7.12

$2.73 $2.73

-84.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.76

$1.66 $1.66

-57.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 R 122

$35.30 $35.30

-79.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.19

$0.95 $0.95

35.79%

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

$34.9K R 575.6K

$36.0K $36.0K

-3.08%

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

$31.1K R 512.1K

$27.1K $27.1K

14.81%

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

$121 R 1,994

$229 $229

-47.13%

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

$17.86 R 294

$59.4 $59.4

-69.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.27 R 598

$69.9 $69.9

-48.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.48 R 519

$57.2 $57.2

-45.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.72 R 177

$16.33 $16.33

-34.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 R 120

$14.28 $14.28

-48.88%

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

$305 R 5,028

$1,506 $1,506

-79.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,610 R 125.4K

$21.5K $21.5K

-64.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R 885

$52.8 $52.8

1.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.34 R 500

$43.82 $43.82

-30.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 R 1,594

$84.8 $84.8

14.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 R 1,355

$103 $103

-20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 R 6,355

$1,907 $1,907

-79.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 R 5,893

$1,274 $1,274

-71.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.1K

$3,664 $3,664

-79.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$2,538 $2,538

-71.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$884 R 14.6K

$7,614 $7,614

-88.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$666 R 11.0K

$3,157 $3,157

-78.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,023 R 49.8K

$5,121 $5,121

-40.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

6.79

73.49%

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

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Shepstone

$358 36.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 256% $916

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Shepstone

$175 17.8%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 105% $183

Groceries & Markets

Port Shepstone

$143 14.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 183% $261

Eating Out

Port Shepstone

$137 13.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 159% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Port Shepstone

$118 12%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 8.1% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Port Shepstone

$46 4.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 86.2% $40

Getting Around

Port Shepstone

$9.9 * 1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 495% $49

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 $386 in Port Shepstone and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 69% 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: $39.00 in Port Shepstone vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $143 vs $405 per month, with Port Shepstone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

03:25 3:25 AM

7 h behind Port Shepstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,793

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Shepstone Austin, TX 15,100 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Shepstone
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

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

Port Shepstone wins on cost – living expenses run 170% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Shepstone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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: $386 in Port Shepstone versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $305 in Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $987 in Port Shepstone versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Shepstone but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.