Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Austin, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Rock Island, IL and in Austin, TX: $2,664 and $2,698 a month, rent and utilities included.

132

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
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Rock Island, IL Living Index
129

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

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Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,664

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,664 in Rock Island, IL versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Rock Island, IL $2,664
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,843 in Rock Island, IL versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Rock Island, IL $3,843
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,023 in Rock Island, IL versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Rock Island, IL $5,023
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Rock Island, IL costs roughly 1% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rock Island, IL 97% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$20.63 $20.63

-2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 $67.2

$84.6 $84.6

-20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$12.07 $12.07

6.38%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$5.48 $5.48

7.66%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$3.80 $3.80

-17.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.47 $2.47

-2.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$8.05 $8.05

-12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$8.88 $8.88

-10.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.11 $1.11

-15.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.72 $3.72

-5.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.37 $3.37

25.52%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$4.32 $4.32

-14.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$13.13 $13.13

14.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$14.15 $14.15

-7.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 $20.09

$16.33 $16.33

23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$4.55 $4.55

3.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.46 $1.46

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.71 $4.71

9.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$4.15 $4.15

15.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.58 $2.58

8.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.35 $2.35

33.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.77 $1.77

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.14 $2.14

13.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 $10.72

$10.10 $10.10

6.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$15.19 $15.19

2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.82 $2.82

-5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.44 $3.44

26.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.54 $1.54

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.80 $2.80

41.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.60 $1.60

24.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.24 $44.24

$34.34 $34.34

28.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.94 $0.94

6.38%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$34.0K $34.0K

-8.24%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.8K $26.8K

-4.23%

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

$267 $267

$223 $223

19.89%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$58.9 $58.9

-11.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.6 $80.6

$70.6 $70.6

14.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 $45.16

$57.7 $57.7

-21.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$14.26 $14.26

6.03%

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

$1,719 $1,719

$1,511 $1,511

13.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$20.9K $20.9K

13.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$51.3 $51.3

25.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$44.17 $44.17

15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$87.0 $87.0

23.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$104 $104

14.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 $1,812

$1,940 $1,940

-6.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$1,316 $1,316

-5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 $2,614

$3,664 $3,664

-28.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$2,565 $2,565

-21.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 $2,912

$7,354 $7,354

-60.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$3,129 $3,129

-27.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

6.79

-1.47%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 46.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 6.3% $78

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$431 16.2%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 5.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$400 15%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 11.9% $48

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$343 12.9%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 1.9% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 16.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$75 2.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 14.4% $11

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 173% $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 $1,812 in Rock Island, IL and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Rock Island, IL vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $431 vs $406, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

Same time as Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rock Island, IL Austin, TX 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, IL
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

Rock Island, IL vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rock Island, IL wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rock Island, IL the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Rock Island, IL and $4,046 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,812 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,719 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,511 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 Rock Island, IL – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Rock Island, IL 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.

Expats usually find Rock Island, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.