Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Cloud, MN and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Cloud, MN: $1,919 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in St. Cloud, MN
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St. Cloud, MN Living Index
129

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

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St. Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,919

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,919 in St. Cloud, MN versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

St. Cloud, MN $1,919
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,044 in St. Cloud, MN versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

St. Cloud, MN $3,044
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,170 in St. Cloud, MN versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

St. Cloud, MN $4,170
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in St. Cloud, MN costs roughly 29% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Cloud, MN 42% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$20.63 $20.63

-2.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$84.6 $84.6

-9.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 $11.14

$12.07 $12.07

-7.71%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$5.48 $5.48

6.57%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$3.80 $3.80

-27.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.47 $2.47

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$8.05 $8.05

-11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$8.88 $8.88

-10.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.11 $1.11

-26.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.72 $3.72

-23.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.37 $3.37

-4.45%

Eggs

$2.32 $2.32

$4.32 $4.32

-46.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$13.13 $13.13

-63.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$14.15 $14.15

-34.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 $17.48

$16.33 $16.33

7.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.55 $4.55

-13.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.46 $1.46

-6.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.71 $4.71

-31.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$4.15 $4.15

-47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 $0.76

$2.58 $2.58

-70.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.35 $2.35

-27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.77 $1.77

15.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.14 $2.14

-14.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$10.10 $10.10

-0.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 $11.87

$15.19 $15.19

-21.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.82 $2.82

-37.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.44 $3.44

-4.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.54 $1.54

33.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.80 $2.80

1.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.60 $1.60

-0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.67 $30.67

$34.34 $34.34

-10.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$0.94 $0.94

-2.13%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.0K $34.0K

-18.65%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

-0.04%

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

$165 $165

$223 $223

-25.93%

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

$46.72 $46.72

$58.9 $58.9

-20.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.41 $43.41

$70.6 $70.6

-38.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.68 $41.68

$57.7 $57.7

-27.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 $13.73

$14.26 $14.26

-3.72%

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

$1,719 $1,719

$1,511 $1,511

13.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$20.9K $20.9K

7.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 $64.2

$51.3 $51.3

25.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$44.17 $44.17

40.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 $73.7

$87.0 $87.0

-15.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 $84.5

$104 $104

-19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$1,940 $1,940

-48.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 $812

$1,316 $1,316

-38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 $1,883

$3,664 $3,664

-48.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 $1,663

$2,565 $2,565

-35.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,823 $1,823

$7,354 $7,354

-75.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,814 $1,814

$3,129 $3,129

-42.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,189 $5,189

$5,286 $5,286

-1.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

6.79

-2.65%

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

Last update for St. Cloud, MN: October 20, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Cloud, MN

$812 42.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 62.1% $504

Eating Out

St. Cloud, MN

$337 17.6%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 3.9% $13

Groceries & Markets

St. Cloud, MN

$299 15.6%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 35.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Cloud, MN

$255 13.3%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 38.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

St. Cloud, MN

$128 6.7%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

St. Cloud, MN

$69 3.6%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 24.7% $17

Getting Around

St. Cloud, MN

$19 * 1%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 204% $39

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 $1,005 in St. Cloud, MN and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2% 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: $76.0 in St. Cloud, MN vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $406 per month, with St. Cloud, MN cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

Same time as St. Cloud, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,842

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Cloud, MN Austin, TX 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Cloud, MN
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

St. Cloud, MN vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Cloud, MN wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making St. Cloud, MN the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 2% 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: $1,005 in St. Cloud, MN 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 St. Cloud, MN 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 St. Cloud, MN – a meal for two runs $76.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,919 in St. Cloud, MN versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in St. Cloud, MN but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes St. Cloud, MN 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 St. Cloud, MN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.