Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thornton, CO and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,607 a month against $2,887 in Thornton, CO, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Thornton, CO
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Thornton, CO Living Index
125

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

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Thornton, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,887

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,887 in Thornton, CO versus $2,607 in Austin, TX.

Thornton, CO $2,887
Austin, TX $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,977 in Thornton, CO versus $4,031 in Austin, TX.

Thornton, CO $3,977
Austin, TX $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,068 in Thornton, CO versus $5,454 in Austin, TX.

Thornton, CO $5,068
Austin, TX $5,454

Living in Thornton, CO is roughly 11% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thornton, CO 112% above, Austin, TX 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$20.35 $20.35

-0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 $84.0

$84.7 $84.7

-0.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$12.12 $12.12

7.51%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$5.65 $5.65

4.42%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$3.68 $3.68

-18.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.36 $2.36

-3.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$7.87 $7.87

-9.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$8.82 $8.82

-8.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.14 $1.14

-6.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.69 $3.69

-12.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.31 $3.31

29.61%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$4.15 $4.15

22.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 $14.77

$12.98 $12.98

13.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$13.86 $13.86

-1.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$16.34 $16.34

17.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$4.69 $4.69

12.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.45 $1.45

48.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$5.11 $5.11

-11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$4.52 $4.52

2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.08 $3.08

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.38 $2.38

5.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.80 $1.80

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.22 $2.22

9.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.20 $10.20

$9.97 $9.97

2.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 $19.18

$15.05 $15.05

27.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.91 $2.91

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.33 $3.33

42.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.78 $2.78

22.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.65 $1.65

-15.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.76 $24.76

$35.39 $35.39

-30.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.95 $0.95

8.42%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$34.2K $34.2K

-16.57%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.8K $26.8K

-2.25%

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

$165 $165

$223 $223

-26.07%

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

$77.5 $77.5

$58.5 $58.5

32.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 $86.6

$71.2 $71.2

21.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 $55.7

$53.0 $53.0

4.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.96 $9.96

$16.75 $16.75

-40.54%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$14.06 $14.06

6.83%

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

$1,579 $1,579

$1,459 $1,459

8.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$21.3K $21.3K

15.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$52.5 $52.5

11.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.21 $39.21

$42.75 $42.75

-8.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$86.4 $86.4

-3.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$104 $104

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 $1,743

$2,112 $2,112

-17.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 $1,535

$1,230 $1,230

24.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,628 $2,628

$3,863 $3,863

-31.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 $2,029

$2,407 $2,407

-15.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,576 $5,576

$5,179 $5,179

7.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

6.82

-1.47%

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

Last update for Thornton, CO: October 25, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thornton, CO

$1.5K 53.2%

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2% 19.8% $305

Groceries & Markets

Thornton, CO

$445 15.4%

Austin, TX

$410 15.7% 7.9% $35

Eating Out

Thornton, CO

$344 11.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.4% 1.1% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thornton, CO

$329 11.4%

Austin, TX

$353 13.5% 7.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Thornton, CO

$137 4.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.9% 6.4% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Thornton, CO

$86 3%

Austin, TX

$81 3.1% 5.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Thornton, CO

$10 * 0.4%

Austin, TX

$56 2.2% 446% $46

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 $1,743 in Thornton, CO and $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thornton, CO pays 8% 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: $84 in Thornton, CO vs $85 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $445 vs $410, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thornton, CO

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

1 h ahead of Thornton, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,478

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Thornton, CO Austin, TX 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Thornton, CO
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

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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Thornton, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Thornton, CO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,743 in Thornton, CO versus $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,887 per month in Thornton, CO versus $2,607 in Austin, TX – Austin, TX is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Thornton, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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.

It comes down to priorities – Austin, TX wins on affordability, Thornton, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.