Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,608 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index
129

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

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Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Umea versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Umea $1,608
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,579 in Umea versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Umea $2,579
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,550 in Umea versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Umea $3,550
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Umea costs roughly 41% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Umea 20% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 SEK 150

$20.22 $20.22

-25.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 SEK 793

$85.0 $85.0

-6.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 SEK 120

$12.35 $12.35

-2.83%

Cappuccino

$3.99 SEK 39.90

$5.47 $5.47

-27.06%

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

$3.20 SEK 31.99

$3.82 $3.82

-16.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 SEK 23.59

$2.50 $2.50

-5.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 SEK 83.0

$8.06 $8.06

2.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 SEK 74.0

$8.99 $8.99

-17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.29

$1.13 $1.13

44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 SEK 34.42

$3.78 $3.78

-8.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 SEK 40.68

$3.25 $3.25

25.23%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.95

$4.14 $4.14

-5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 SEK 112

$13.08 $13.08

-14.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 SEK 107

$14.31 $14.31

-25.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 SEK 172

$15.96 $15.96

7.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 SEK 24.57

$4.38 $4.38

-43.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 SEK 22.63

$1.45 $1.45

55.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 28.16

$4.54 $4.54

-37.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 43.00

$4.19 $4.19

2.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 SEK 16.35

$2.63 $2.63

-37.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.60

$2.36 $2.36

-29.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 SEK 24.90

$1.76 $1.76

41.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.83

$2.16 $2.16

-40.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.9

$9.81 $9.81

-29.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 SEK 98.9

$14.72 $14.72

-32.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.66

$2.78 $2.78

-18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 SEK 24.40

$3.48 $3.48

-29.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 SEK 29.16

$1.49 $1.49

95.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 SEK 568

$40.51 $40.51

40.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.80 SEK 68.0

$2.67 $2.67

154.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.02 SEK 50.2

$1.58 $1.58

217.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.37

$0.99 $0.99

75.76%

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

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

$35.8K $35.8K

-7.76%

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

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

$27.2K $27.2K

23.81%

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

$86.0 SEK 860

$219 $219

-60.76%

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

$32.39 SEK 324

$58.0 $58.0

-44.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.15 SEK 271

$68.4 $68.4

-60.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.96 SEK 489

$57.9 $57.9

-15.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.34 SEK 353

$14.82 $14.82

138.46%

Cinema Ticket

$16.17 SEK 162

$14.13 $14.13

14.44%

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

$137 SEK 1,368

$1,509 $1,509

-90.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.5 SEK 995

$51.7 $51.7

92.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 SEK 364

$44.05 $44.05

-17.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 SEK 1,166

$85.1 $85.1

37.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,405

$105 $105

33.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 SEK 7,357

$1,932 $1,932

-61.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 SEK 5,040

$1,272 $1,272

-60.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

$3,670 $3,670

-69.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 SEK 8,227

$2,525 $2,525

-67.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

$7,617 $7,617

-40.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

$3,199 $3,199

-4.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

$5,105 $5,105

-47.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

6.79

-46.24%

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

Last update for Umea: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umea

$504 30.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 152% $768

Groceries & Markets

Umea

$350 21.3%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 15.1% $53

Eating Out

Umea

$283 17.2%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 23.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Umea

$177 10.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 27.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umea

$146 8.9%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 137% $200

Getting Around

Umea

$100 6.1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 43.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Umea

$81 5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $736 in Umea and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 91% 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: $79.0 in Umea vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $403 per month, with Umea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Umea

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

7 h behind Umea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,594

974,447

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Umea Austin, TX 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Umea
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

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

Umea wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Umea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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: $736 in Umea versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Umea versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Umea runs roughly 40% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,608 in Umea versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Umea but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Umea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Umea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Umea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Umea 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 Umea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.