Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandnes and Austin, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Sandnes and in Austin, TX: $2,639 and $2,663 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index
130

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

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Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,639

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,639 in Sandnes versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Sandnes $2,639
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,091 in Sandnes versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Sandnes $4,091
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,543 in Sandnes versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Sandnes $5,543
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Sandnes costs roughly 1% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sandnes 95% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.33 NOK 238

$20.77 $20.77

21.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 NOK 893

$84.6 $84.6

12.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.41 NOK 145

$12.32 $12.32

25.08%

Cappuccino

$5.58 NOK 52.6

$5.63 $5.63

-0.89%

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

$3.37 NOK 31.70

$3.72 $3.72

-9.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 NOK 27.75

$2.50 $2.50

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.54 NOK 128

$8.05 $8.05

68.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.92 NOK 112

$9.01 $9.01

32.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 21.91

$1.12 $1.12

108.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 NOK 31.43

$3.75 $3.75

-10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 NOK 23.23

$3.26 $3.26

-24.23%

Eggs

$4.92 NOK 46.31

$4.17 $4.17

17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 NOK 125

$12.90 $12.90

2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 149

$14.16 $14.16

11.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.72 NOK 299

$16.22 $16.22

95.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 NOK 32.44

$4.33 $4.33

-20.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 NOK 26.52

$1.46 $1.46

93.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 NOK 29.12

$4.51 $4.51

-31.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 NOK 44.41

$4.34 $4.34

8.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 NOK 23.89

$2.58 $2.58

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 NOK 22.17

$2.35 $2.35

0.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.54

$1.78 $1.78

58.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 NOK 21.17

$2.22 $2.22

1.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.35 NOK 154

$9.88 $9.88

65.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.37 NOK 154

$15.08 $15.08

8.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 NOK 30.37

$2.92 $2.92

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 NOK 38.89

$3.46 $3.46

19.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.65 NOK 43.81

$1.49 $1.49

212.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.1 NOK 773

$41.72 $41.72

96.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 NOK 56.5

$2.73 $2.73

119.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NOK 15.82

$1.66 $1.66

1.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.92 NOK 451

$35.30 $35.30

35.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.81

$0.95 $0.95

132.63%

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

$43.3K NOK 407.2K

$36.0K $36.0K

20.00%

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

$38.6K NOK 363.0K

$27.1K $27.1K

42.44%

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

$245 NOK 2,309

$229 $229

7.14%

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

$34.40 NOK 324

$59.4 $59.4

-42.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.6 NOK 787

$69.9 $69.9

19.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 NOK 428

$57.2 $57.2

-20.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$52.2 NOK 491

$16.33 $16.33

219.41%

Cinema Ticket

$18.81 NOK 177

$14.28 $14.28

31.72%

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

$284 NOK 2,675

$1,506 $1,506

-81.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,372 NOK 88.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-56.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$123 NOK 1,159

$52.8 $52.8

133.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 NOK 560

$43.82 $43.82

35.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 NOK 1,121

$84.8 $84.8

40.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 NOK 1,751

$103 $103

80.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 NOK 12.3K

$1,907 $1,907

-31.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$947 NOK 8,916

$1,274 $1,274

-25.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 NOK 18.5K

$3,664 $3,664

-46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,754 NOK 16.5K

$2,538 $2,538

-30.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,896 NOK 64.9K

$7,614 $7,614

-9.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,065 NOK 38.3K

$3,157 $3,157

28.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,612 NOK 34.0K

$5,121 $5,121

-29.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

6.79

-23.12%

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

Last update for Sandnes: 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

Sandnes

$947 35.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 34.5% $327

Groceries & Markets

Sandnes

$478 18.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 15.4% $74

Eating Out

Sandnes

$433 16.4%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 18.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandnes

$363 13.8%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 1.4% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Sandnes

$220 8.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 41.7% $92

Getting Around

Sandnes

$115 4.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 49% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Sandnes

$83 3.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 3.3% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,304 in Sandnes and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 42% 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: $95.0 in Sandnes vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $478 vs $405 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

7 h behind Sandnes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,958

974,447

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sandnes Austin, TX 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandnes
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

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

Sandnes 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 Sandnes the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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: $1,304 in Sandnes 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 $2,639 per month in Sandnes versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sandnes runs roughly 97% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Sandnes 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, Sandnes 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.

Expats usually find Sandnes 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.