Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Austria Cost of Living Summary
United States is 14.1% more expensive than Austria overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 15.9% less in United States
- Groceries
- pay 7.5% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 14.5% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 42.2% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 94.2% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 10.8% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 25.5% less in United States
United States vs. Austria Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Austria, you would:
pay 15.9% less for restaurants
Austria | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $18.52 €16.26 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.86 €10.41 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.81 €3.35 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.84 €2.49 | $2.00 | |
Austria vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
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pay 7.5% more for groceries
Austria | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.85 €2.50 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $10.46 €9.18 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.32 €5.55 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.66 €4.09 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.81 €5.98 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.34 €1.18 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.12 €0.98 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.51 €1.33 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.16 €1.89 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.04 €0.91 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.93 €0.82 | $1.38 | |
Austria vs. United States - Cost of groceries
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pay 14.5% less for transportation
Austria | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $6.68 €5.86 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $57.69 €50.65 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $30,303.85 €26,606.84 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $25.13 €22.06 | $17.61 | |
Austria vs. United States - Cost of transportation
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pay 42.2% more for housing
Austria | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $39.06 €34.29 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $969.93 €851.60 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $823.47 €723.00 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $307.44 €269.94 | $150.19 | |
Austria vs. United States - Cost of housing
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pay 94.2% more for childcare
Austria | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $585.93 €514.44 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,311.22 €13,443.29 | $23,196.46 | |
Austria vs. United States - Cost of childcare
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pay 10.8% more for entertainment and sports
Austria | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.41 €4.75 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.37 €3.84 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $7.50 €6.59 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.14 €44.90 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.33 €12.58 | $13.64 | |
Austria vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 25.5% less for clothing
Austria | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $99.44 €87.30 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $47.64 €41.83 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $103.83 €91.16 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $150.37 €132.03 | $112.04 | |
Austria vs. United States - Cost of clothing
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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: June 2026
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