Cost of living comparison

compared to
Minnesota vs. Austin Cost of Living Summary

Minnesota is 2.9% cheaper than Austin.

Restaurants
pay 2.9% less in Minnesota
Groceries
pay 9.3% more in Minnesota
Transportation
pay 15.0% more in Minnesota
Housing
pay 22.8% less in Minnesota
Childcare
pay 3.6% less in Minnesota
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.9% less in Minnesota
Clothing
pay 13.7% less in Minnesota

The cost of transportation and groceries in Minnesota are more expensive than in Austin. Expenses including housing, clothing, childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Minnesota.

Minnesota vs. Austin Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Minnesota instead of Austin, you would:

pay 2.9% less for restaurants

 
Austin
Minnesota
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.00
 
$17.25
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.00
 
$10.44
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.62
 
$2.57
 

Improve prices ·

pay 9.3% more for groceries

 
Austin
Minnesota
Bread
1 loaf
$3.60
 
$3.24
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.37
 
$4.95
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.94
 
$3.64
 

Improve prices ·

pay 15.0% more for transportation

 
Austin
Minnesota
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.04
 
$3.27
 
Monthly public transit pass $45.00
 
$75.17
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,000.00
 
$32,650.12
 

Improve prices ·

pay 22.8% less for housing

 
Austin
Minnesota
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$70.43
 
$66.32
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,280.66
 
$1,195.42
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,508.91
 
$1,106.51
 

Improve prices ·

pay 3.6% less for childcare

 
Austin
Minnesota
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,465.00
 
$1,324.96
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $21,625.00
 
$22,140.67
 

Improve prices ·

pay 1.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Austin
Minnesota
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.00
 
$5.62
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.31
 
$5.50
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.00
 
$9.80
 

Improve prices ·

pay 13.7% less for clothing

 
Austin
Minnesota
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$63.62
 
$52.74
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$52.38
 
$47.94
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$89.78
 
$84.66
 

Improve prices ·
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: January 2025
Share this

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Minnesota or Austin. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.