Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Secunda and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,056 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index
130

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

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Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Secunda versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Secunda $1,056
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Secunda versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Secunda $1,618
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,180 in Secunda versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Secunda $2,180
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Secunda costs roughly 60% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Secunda is 22% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 R 96.8

$20.77 $20.77

-71.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.10 R 496

$84.6 $84.6

-64.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 R 90.8

$12.32 $12.32

-55.28%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R 36.07

$5.63 $5.63

-61.10%

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

$0.87 R 14.39

$3.72 $3.72

-76.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R 8.09

$2.50 $2.50

-80.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 R 17.30

$8.05 $8.05

-86.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.95

$9.01 $9.01

-85.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.80

$1.12 $1.12

1.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.39

$3.75 $3.75

-75.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.01

$3.26 $3.26

-44.17%

Eggs

$2.52 R 41.60

$4.17 $4.17

-39.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 135

$12.90 $12.90

-36.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 R 82.1

$14.16 $14.16

-64.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 R 119

$16.22 $16.22

-55.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.25

$4.33 $4.33

-58.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.30

$1.46 $1.46

9.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.33

$4.51 $4.51

-60.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.43

$4.34 $4.34

-64.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.70

$2.58 $2.58

-58.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.12

$2.35 $2.35

-48.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.98

$1.78 $1.78

-32.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.82

$2.22 $2.22

-40.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.8

$9.88 $9.88

-66.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 R 81.7

$15.08 $15.08

-67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.78

$2.92 $2.92

-48.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 32.66

$3.46 $3.46

-42.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.51

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.71

$2.73 $2.73

-89.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R 13.12

$1.66 $1.66

-51.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.38 R 237

$35.30 $35.30

-59.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.49

$0.95 $0.95

63.16%

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

$35.4K R 582.9K

$36.0K $36.0K

-1.86%

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

$33.5K R 551.6K

$27.1K $27.1K

23.66%

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

$153 R 2,518

$229 $229

-33.25%

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

$36.64 R 604

$59.4 $59.4

-38.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.15 R 612

$69.9 $69.9

-46.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.57 R 537

$57.2 $57.2

-43.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 R 178

$16.33 $16.33

-33.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 R 117

$14.28 $14.28

-50.35%

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

$89.3 R 1,472

$1,506 $1,506

-94.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,575 R 91.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-74.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 858

$52.8 $52.8

-1.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 R 518

$43.82 $43.82

-28.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 R 1,507

$84.8 $84.8

7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 R 1,360

$103 $103

-19.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 R 6,486

$1,907 $1,907

-79.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 R 5,984

$1,274 $1,274

-71.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.2K

$3,664 $3,664

-79.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.1K

$2,538 $2,538

-71.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$861 R 14.2K

$7,614 $7,614

-88.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 R 10.7K

$3,157 $3,157

-79.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.4K

$5,121 $5,121

-72.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

6.79

67.01%

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

Last update for Secunda: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Secunda

$363 34.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 251% $911

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Secunda

$227 21.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 58.1% $132

Groceries & Markets

Secunda

$190 18%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 112% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Secunda

$116 11%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 10.4% $12

Eating Out

Secunda

$103 9.8%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 243% $251

Sport & Entertainment

Secunda

$47 4.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 83.5% $39

Getting Around

Secunda

$10 * 1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 474% $48

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 $394 in Secunda and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 261% 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: $30.00 in Secunda vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $405 per month, with Secunda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Secunda

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

7 h behind Secunda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,198

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

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Between locations

Secunda Austin, TX 14,860 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Secunda
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

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

Secunda wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Secunda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 261% 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: $394 in Secunda versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $89.3 in Secunda 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 Secunda – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,056 in Secunda versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Secunda but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Secunda 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 Secunda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.