Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Austin Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 60.4% more expensive than Austin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.9% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 45.0% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 75.2% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 43.9% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 61.3% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 29.6% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, and clothing in New York City are more expensive than in Austin. Notably, childcare and transportation are significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. Austin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Austin, you would:
pay 20.9% more for restaurants
|
Austin
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.67
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.09
|
$2.61
|
|
Austin vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 45.0% more for groceries
|
Austin
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.40
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.17
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.93
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.85
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.15
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.18
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.78
|
|
Austin vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 75.2% more for transportation
|
Austin
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.79
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.38
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,900.00
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.67
|
$22.39
|
|
Austin vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 43.9% more for housing
|
Austin
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.20
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,134.75
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,434.41
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.86
|
$151.98
|
|
Austin vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
Austin
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,343.18
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,093.75
|
$57,250.00
|
|
Austin vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 61.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Austin
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.56
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.33
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$20.00
|
|
Austin vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 29.6% more for clothing
|
Austin
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.74
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.79
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.55
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.47
|
$168.76
|
|
Austin vs. New York City - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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