Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Austria

Name: Austria
Address: AT

For one person, living is cheaper in Austria: $2,242 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Austria
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Austria Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Austria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United States and in Austria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,734 in the United States versus $2,242 in Austria.

United States $2,734
Austria $2,242

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,985 in the United States versus $3,363 in Austria.

United States $3,985
Austria $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,235 in the United States versus $4,484 in Austria.

United States $5,235
Austria $4,484

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $1,363–$2,695 in Austria. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the United States is roughly 22% more expensive than in Austria on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United States 101% above, Austria 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$17.71 €15.86

13.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$77.0 €69.0

3.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$13.66 €12.23

-13.62%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$4.52 €4.05

22.79%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$3.73 €3.34

-28.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.95 €2.64

-26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$5.50 €4.93

11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$5.61 €5.02

41.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.74 €1.55

-40.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.63 €2.36

36.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.33 €2.08

93.99%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$4.74 €4.24

-9.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$18.99 €17.01

-30.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$14.15 €12.67

-10.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$22.18 €19.86

-20.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.84 €2.54

86.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.37 €2.13

-28.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.14 €2.82

41.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$4.15 €3.72

14.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.17 €1.94

36.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.17 €1.94

45.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.95 €1.75

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.92 €0.83

155.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$7.67 €6.87

43.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$8.93 €8.00

68.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.45 €1.30

42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.95 €1.74

94.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.45 €3.09

-43.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$61.5 €55.1

-3.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$5.54 €4.96

-35.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.47 €2.21

-23.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$38.48 €34.47

-22.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.89 €1.69

-46.03%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$30.4K €27.2K

-5.42%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.6K €28.3K

-16.96%

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

$218 $218

$348 €312

-37.43%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$15.29 €13.69

308.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$34.39 €30.80

116.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$41.15 €36.86

1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$25.02 €22.41

-8.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$13.73 €12.30

7.06%

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

$1,489 $1,489

$438 €392

240.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$16.8K €15.0K

50.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$97.0 €86.9

-43.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$43.31 €38.79

-1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$104 €93.3

-9.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$130 €116

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$1,007 €902

64.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$824 €738

63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,828 €1,637

46.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$1,435 €1,286

51.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$7,398 €6,626

-55.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$4,695 €4,205

-47.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$3,083 €2,761

39.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.52

86.08%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Austria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Austria

$824 36.8% 38.8% $523

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Austria

$387 17.3% 6.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Austria

$398 17.8% 12.2% $43

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Austria

$302 13.5% 7.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Austria

$168 7.5% 22.8% $31

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Austria

$93 4.2% 16.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Austria

$69 3.1% 3.7% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,620 in the United States, $1,011 in Austria. Capital cities: $2,768 in Washington, DC vs $1,359 in Vienna.

National salary averages: $4,549 in the United States, $2,850 in Austria. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 60% higher in the United States.

Salaries are 60% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇦🇹 Austria

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

19:53 7:53 PM

5 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

8,979,894

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

United States Austria 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
Austria

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

United States vs Austria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,242 per month in Austria and $2,734 in the United States, Austria comes out about 18% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $1,011 in Austria. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Austria, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United States it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Austria wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.