Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,752 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acosta and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Acosta versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Acosta $1,752
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Acosta versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Acosta $2,725
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Acosta versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Acosta $3,698
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Acosta costs roughly 34% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acosta 30% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₡5,328

$20.77 $20.77

-42.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 ₡26.4K

$84.6 $84.6

-30.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 ₡5,184

$12.32 $12.32

-6.17%

Cappuccino

$4.17 ₡1,869

$5.63 $5.63

-25.93%

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

$2.54 ₡1,138

$3.72 $3.72

-31.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡830

$2.50 $2.50

-26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,432

$8.05 $8.05

-60.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,960

$9.01 $9.01

-51.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ₡938

$1.12 $1.12

86.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₡1,110

$3.75 $3.75

-34.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 ₡1,032

$3.26 $3.26

-29.45%

Eggs

$3.75 ₡1,680

$4.17 $4.17

-10.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₡4,912

$12.90 $12.90

-15.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 ₡4,894

$14.16 $14.16

-22.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 ₡6,781

$16.22 $16.22

-6.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.79 ₡2,595

$4.33 $4.33

33.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.46 $1.46

21.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 ₡1,584

$4.51 $4.51

-21.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,448

$4.34 $4.34

-25.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,464

$2.58 $2.58

26.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,544

$2.35 $2.35

46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡471

$1.78 $1.78

-41.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$2.22 $2.22

7.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,215

$9.88 $9.88

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.53 ₡7,861

$15.08 $15.08

16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₡1,019

$2.92 $2.92

-22.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₡1,104

$3.46 $3.46

-28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₡516

$1.49 $1.49

-22.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ₡1,026

$2.73 $2.73

-16.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.66 $1.66

-4.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 ₡4,271

$35.30 $35.30

-73.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡653

$0.95 $0.95

53.68%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$36.0K $36.0K

-38.36%

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

$30.8K ₡13.8M

$27.1K $27.1K

13.75%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$229 $229

-59.07%

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

$34.27 ₡15.4K

$59.4 $59.4

-42.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 ₡25.8K

$69.9 $69.9

-17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$57.2 $57.2

34.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 ₡3,571

$14.28 $14.28

-44.26%

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

$845 ₡379.1K

$1,506 $1,506

-43.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ₡8.2M

$21.5K $21.5K

-14.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 ₡36.3K

$52.8 $52.8

53.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$43.82 $43.82

26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₡64.0K

$84.8 $84.8

68.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ₡51.3K

$103 $103

11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$787 ₡353.0K

$1,907 $1,907

-58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 ₡307.7K

$1,274 $1,274

-46.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 ₡886.4K

$3,664 $3,664

-46.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$2,538 $2,538

-49.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 ₡871.5K

$7,614 $7,614

-74.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,511 ₡677.5K

$5,121 $5,121

-70.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$686 39.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 85.7% $588

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$373 21.3%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 8.3% $31

Eating Out

Acosta

$222 12.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 59.4% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$186 10.6%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 93.1% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$177 10.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 27.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$93 5.3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 7.6% $7.1

Getting Around

Acosta

$15 * 0.9%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 295% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $787 in Acosta and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 239% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Acosta vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $405 per month, with Acosta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

1 h ahead of Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

974,447

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Acosta Austin, TX 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Acosta
Austin, TX

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

Acosta vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acosta and Austin, TX differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,752 vs $2,663 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 239% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $787 in Acosta versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,752 per month in Acosta versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,752 in Acosta versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Acosta and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.