✦ Compare
Austin vs
Cologne
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Austin, TX vs Cologne, DE at a glance — Cologne, DE is 8% more expensive than Austin, TX overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,050/mo versus $1,650/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Cologne, DE, you'd need
$81,001 / year
Cologne, DE is 8% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Cologne, DE vs Austin, TX)
- Housing+3%
- Food & groceries+15%
- Transport-11%
- Utilities+37%
- Healthcare+4%
- Goods & services+12%
◎ How Austin, TX and Cologne, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Austin, TX | Cologne, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 98 | 106 |
| Housing | 109 | 112 |
| Food | 91 | 105 |
| Transport | 94 | 84 |
| Utilities | 92 | 126 |
| Healthcare | 91 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 94 | 105 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,650/mo | $1,050/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,300/mo | $780/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $2,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,023 | $947 |
| Inexpensive meal | $17 | $14 |
| Monthly transit pass | $42 | $115 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo | $2,200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027 | $60,496 |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 2.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | High |
| Coworking spaces | 60 | 35 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 58 | 66 |
| Healthcare index | 76 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 42 | 78 |
| Public transport | 40 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 65 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +11 °C | +3 °C |
| July avg | +30 °C | +19 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 228 | 105 |
| Rainfall / year | 870 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Austin
Texas's tech boomtown — no state income tax, live music and warmth, though prices have caught up fast.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 58/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 30°C · 228 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Downtown · East Austin · South Congress
Good to know before you move to Cologne
An easy-going media and culture city on the Rhine, crowned by its Gothic cathedral and famous for carnival and a warm, open crowd. More affordable and less corporate than Munich or Frankfurt, with a lively creative and startup scene.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 66/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 19°C · 105 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Ehrenfeld · Belgisches Viertel · Südstadt · Nippes
Plan your move to Austin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Cologne
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Austin to Cologne: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Austin to Cologne, your cost of living will be roughly 8% more expensive. Cologne’s cost-of-living index is 106 versus 98 for Austin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Austin cheaper than Cologne?
Cologne is about 8% more expensive than Austin overall — its cost-of-living index is 106 versus 98 for Austin.
How much do you need to earn in Cologne to live like in Austin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Austin is worth about $81,001 in Cologne. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Austin or Cologne?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Austin
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.