Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, IL and Austin, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Saint Charles, IL and in Austin, TX: $2,710 and $2,698 a month, rent and utilities included.

132

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

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Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,710

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Saint Charles, IL $2,710
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,230 in Saint Charles, IL versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Saint Charles, IL $4,230
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,749 in Saint Charles, IL versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Saint Charles, IL $5,749
Austin, TX $5,622

Monthly costs are close between Saint Charles, IL and Austin, TX; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Charles, IL 100% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$38.02 $38.02

$20.63 $20.63

84.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$84.6 $84.6

17.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 $10.63

$12.07 $12.07

-11.93%

Cappuccino

$6.85 $6.85

$5.48 $5.48

25.00%

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

$3.37 $3.37

$3.80 $3.80

-11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.47 $2.47

24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$8.05 $8.05

-12.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.54 $7.54

$8.88 $8.88

-15.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.11 $1.11

-11.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.72 $3.72

-4.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.37 $3.37

25.52%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$4.32 $4.32

5.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 $12.33

$13.13 $13.13

-6.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$14.15 $14.15

-18.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 $12.85

$16.33 $16.33

-21.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$4.55 $4.55

11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.46 $1.46

-30.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.71 $4.71

-7.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.15 $4.15

15.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.58 $2.58

6.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.35 $2.35

29.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.77 $1.77

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.14 $2.14

4.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.41 $11.41

$10.10 $10.10

12.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$15.19 $15.19

-0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.82 $2.82

-31.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.44 $3.44

0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.54 $1.54

31.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.80 $2.80

15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.60 $1.60

2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 $32.52

$34.34 $34.34

-5.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.94 $0.94

5.32%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.0K $34.0K

-23.49%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.8K $26.8K

-2.60%

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

$195 $195

$223 $223

-12.23%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$58.9 $58.9

13.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 $70.9

$70.6 $70.6

0.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 $43.09

$57.7 $57.7

-25.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$14.26 $14.26

3.37%

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

$1,358 $1,358

$1,511 $1,511

-10.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$20.9K $20.9K

25.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 $51.1

$51.3 $51.3

-0.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 $39.30

$44.17 $44.17

-11.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$87.0 $87.0

-13.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$104 $104

25.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$1,940 $1,940

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$1,316 $1,316

-2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$3,664 $3,664

-30.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,472 $2,472

$2,565 $2,565

-3.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,065 $3,065

$7,354 $7,354

-58.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,620 $2,620

$3,129 $3,129

-16.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.79

-3.24%

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

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 47.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 3.1% $39

Eating Out

Saint Charles, IL

$494 18.2%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 29.2% $144

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, IL

$380 14%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 6.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, IL

$333 12.3%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 5.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, IL

$134 4.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 3.5% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, IL

$73 2.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 18.8% $14

Getting Around

Saint Charles, IL

$20 * 0.7%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 197% $38

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 $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $100 in Saint Charles, IL vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $380 vs $406, with Saint Charles, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

Same time as Saint Charles, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

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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Highest

Between locations

Saint Charles, IL Austin, TX 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Charles, 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

Saint Charles, IL vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $4,065 in Saint Charles, 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: $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Saint Charles, IL pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $100 in Saint Charles, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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.

Safety-wise, Saint Charles, IL 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.

It comes down to priorities – Austin, TX wins on affordability, Saint Charles, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.