Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Thames: $1,966 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index
130

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

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Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,966 in Thames versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Thames $1,966
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,999 in Thames versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Thames $2,999
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,032 in Thames versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Thames $4,032
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Thames costs roughly 26% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thames 46% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$20.77 $20.77

-32.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$84.6 $84.6

-19.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$12.32 $12.32

-27.84%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.06

$5.63 $5.63

-39.25%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$3.72 $3.72

-45.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$2.50 $2.50

-30.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$8.05 $8.05

-14.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 NZ$11.90

$9.01 $9.01

-25.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.12 $1.12

66.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$3.75 $3.75

-40.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$3.26 $3.26

-45.09%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$10.97

$4.17 $4.17

48.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 NZ$15.55

$12.90 $12.90

-31.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.11

$14.16 $14.16

-31.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 NZ$29.74

$16.22 $16.22

3.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$4.33 $4.33

-35.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$1.46 $1.46

47.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$4.51 $4.51

-35.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

$4.34 $4.34

32.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$2.58 $2.58

-17.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$2.35 $2.35

-35.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.78 $1.78

11.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$2.22 $2.22

-53.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.57 NZ$46.99

$9.88 $9.88

168.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$15.08 $15.08

-32.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

$2.92 $2.92

-2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$3.46 $3.46

-2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$1.49 $1.49

-2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

$41.72 $41.72

80.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$2.73 $2.73

-15.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.66 $1.66

15.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 NZ$56.9

$35.30 $35.30

-8.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$0.95 $0.95

96.84%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

$36.0K $36.0K

-30.24%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$27.1K $27.1K

-19.88%

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

$183 NZ$324

$229 $229

-19.87%

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

$26.20 NZ$46.33

$59.4 $59.4

-55.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$89.6

$69.9 $69.9

-27.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 NZ$74.0

$57.2 $57.2

-26.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

$14.28 $14.28

-8.26%

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

$1,135 NZ$2,007

$1,506 $1,506

-24.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$21.5K $21.5K

-10.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$52.8 $52.8

49.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 NZ$70.6

$43.82 $43.82

-8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 NZ$163

$84.8 $84.8

8.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$103 $103

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

$1,907 $1,907

-51.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

$1,274 $1,274

-35.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

$3,664 $3,664

-59.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

$2,538 $2,538

-41.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

$7,614 $7,614

-40.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

$3,157 $3,157

19.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

6.79

-20.91%

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

Last update for Thames: 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

Thames

$821 41.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 55.3% $453

Groceries & Markets

Thames

$337 17.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 20.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thames

$260 13.2%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 37.6% $98

Eating Out

Thames

$242 12.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 46.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Thames

$145 7.4%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 11.9% $17

Getting Around

Thames

$93 4.7%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 36.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Thames

$68 3.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 26.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $930 in Thames and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Thames vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $405 per month, with Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Thames

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

18 h behind Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

974,447

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thames Austin, TX 11,720 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Thames
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

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

Thames wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Thames the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,949 in Thames and $3,995 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: $930 in Thames 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 $1,966 per month in Thames versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Thames runs roughly 81% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,966 in Thames versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thames but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Thames 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.

Safety-wise, Thames 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 Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.