Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surinam and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index
129

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

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Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $626 in Surinam versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Surinam $626
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,049 in Surinam versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Surinam $1,049
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,472 in Surinam versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Surinam $1,472
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Surinam costs roughly 77% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surinam is 54% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 MUR 280

$20.63 $20.63

-71.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.18 MUR 1,797

$84.6 $84.6

-54.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 MUR 355

$12.07 $12.07

-37.53%

Cappuccino

$2.70 MUR 127

$5.48 $5.48

-50.73%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.3

$3.80 $3.80

-68.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 31.99

$2.47 $2.47

-72.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MUR 126

$8.05 $8.05

-66.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MUR 218

$8.88 $8.88

-47.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MUR 75.6

$1.11 $1.11

45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.80

$3.72 $3.72

-80.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.8

$3.37 $3.37

-67.36%

Eggs

$2.65 MUR 125

$4.32 $4.32

-38.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MUR 250

$13.13 $13.13

-59.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 MUR 291

$14.15 $14.15

-56.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 MUR 520

$16.33 $16.33

-32.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MUR 132

$4.55 $4.55

-38.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 MUR 125

$1.46 $1.46

82.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.3

$4.71 $4.71

-69.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 MUR 140

$4.15 $4.15

-28.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 43.58

$2.58 $2.58

-63.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.08

$2.35 $2.35

-59.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.57

$1.77 $1.77

-58.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MUR 41.98

$2.14 $2.14

-58.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 MUR 298

$10.10 $10.10

-37.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 MUR 405

$15.19 $15.19

-43.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MUR 78.3

$2.82 $2.82

-41.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 MUR 112

$3.44 $3.44

-30.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 MUR 192

$2.80 $2.80

46.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 MUR 151

$1.60 $1.60

101.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.97 MUR 987

$34.34 $34.34

-38.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.2

$0.94 $0.94

47.87%

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

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

$34.0K $34.0K

8.77%

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

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

$26.8K $26.8K

13.76%

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

$44.93 MUR 2,115

$223 $223

-79.82%

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

$10.67 MUR 502

$58.9 $58.9

-81.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MUR 1,346

$70.6 $70.6

-59.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MUR 301

$14.26 $14.26

-55.19%

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

$124 MUR 5,826

$1,511 $1,511

-91.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

$20.9K $20.9K

-63.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 MUR 3,702

$51.3 $51.3

53.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 MUR 3,533

$44.17 $44.17

69.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 MUR 5,633

$87.0 $87.0

37.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MUR 3,678

$104 $104

-25.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

6.79

-1.77%

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

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surinam

$217 34.8%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 86.6% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Surinam

$158 25.3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 18.4% $29

Eating Out

Surinam

$133 21.2%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 164% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surinam

$84 13.5%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 318% $268

Getting Around

Surinam

$20 * 3.2%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 187% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Surinam

$13 * 2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 575% $73

Accommodation & Living

Surinam

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38.00 in Surinam vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $406 per month, with Surinam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Surinam

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

00:15 12:15 AM

9 h behind Surinam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,500

974,447

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surinam Austin, TX 17,310 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Surinam
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

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

Surinam wins on cost – living expenses run 331% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Surinam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $938 in Surinam 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.

Childcare runs $124 in Surinam 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 Surinam – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $626 in Surinam versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surinam but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Surinam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Surinam delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $626 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Surinam hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Surinam 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 Surinam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 331% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.