Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $799 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
130

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

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$799

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $799 in Rustenburg versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Rustenburg $799
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,318 in Rustenburg versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Rustenburg $1,318
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,837 in Rustenburg versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Rustenburg $1,837
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Rustenburg costs roughly 70% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rustenburg is 41% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 R 101

$20.77 $20.77

-70.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 R 719

$84.6 $84.6

-48.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.28 R 103

$12.32 $12.32

-49.03%

Cappuccino

$2.03 R 33.47

$5.63 $5.63

-63.94%

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

$0.96 R 15.75

$3.72 $3.72

-74.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.26

$2.50 $2.50

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.37

$8.05 $8.05

-81.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.40

$9.01 $9.01

-76.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.38

$1.12 $1.12

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.36

$3.75 $3.75

-73.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.20

$3.26 $3.26

-45.71%

Eggs

$2.70 R 44.53

$4.17 $4.17

-35.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 R 121

$12.90 $12.90

-43.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 R 82.6

$14.16 $14.16

-64.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.44 R 106

$16.22 $16.22

-60.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.00

$4.33 $4.33

-59.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.27

$1.46 $1.46

8.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.47

$4.51 $4.51

-60.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 R 18.78

$4.34 $4.34

-73.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.96

$2.58 $2.58

-48.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$2.35 $2.35

-53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.15

$1.78 $1.78

-28.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.48

$2.22 $2.22

-57.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R 51.5

$9.88 $9.88

-68.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.96 R 98.2

$15.08 $15.08

-60.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R 9.55

$2.92 $2.92

-80.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.61

$3.46 $3.46

-72.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.48

$2.73 $2.73

-69.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.42

$1.66 $1.66

-46.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 242

$35.30 $35.30

-58.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.55

$0.95 $0.95

50.53%

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

$28.4K R 468.3K

$36.0K $36.0K

-21.15%

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

$27.6K R 455.5K

$27.1K $27.1K

2.13%

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

$74.9 R 1,233

$229 $229

-67.31%

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

$13.66 R 225

$59.4 $59.4

-77.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.01 R 593

$69.9 $69.9

-48.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.21 R 349

$57.2 $57.2

-62.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.21 R 102

$16.33 $16.33

-61.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 R 81.5

$14.28 $14.28

-65.41%

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

$112 R 1,841

$1,506 $1,506

-92.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,493 R 90.5K

$21.5K $21.5K

-74.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.05 R 709

$52.8 $52.8

-18.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 R 772

$43.82 $43.82

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,798

$84.8 $84.8

28.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 R 901

$103 $103

-46.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,537

$1,907 $1,907

-82.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 R 3,937

$1,274 $1,274

-81.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$3,664 $3,664

-80.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 R 8,559

$2,538 $2,538

-79.53%

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)

$1,085 R 17.9K

$5,121 $5,121

-78.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

6.79

45.80%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: 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

Rustenburg

$239 29.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 433% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$176 22%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 130% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$125 15.6%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 188% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$114 14.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 12.1% $14

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$110 13.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 223% $244

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$31 3.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 176% $55

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.2 * 0.7%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 1029% $53

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 $336 in Rustenburg and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 372% 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: $44.00 in Rustenburg vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $405 per month, with Rustenburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

7 h behind Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

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 →

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Between locations

Rustenburg Austin, TX 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Rustenburg
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

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

Rustenburg wins on cost – living expenses run 233% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rustenburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 372% 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: $336 in Rustenburg versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $112 in Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $799 in Rustenburg versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 233% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.