Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
Learn more

Acapulco Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Austin, TX vs $859 in Acapulco, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,663
Acapulco $859

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,435 in Acapulco, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,133
Acapulco $1,435

A family of three spends $5,603 per month in Austin, TX vs $2,012 in Acapulco, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,603
Acapulco $2,012

Austin, TX costs about 210% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Austin, TX sits 97% above the global median, while Acapulco is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.48 MX$175

119.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$37.64 MX$696

124.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.97 MX$221

2.92%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.76 MX$69.5

49.73%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.63 MX$30.10

128.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.66 MX$30.65

50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.00 MX$55.4

168.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.79 MX$88.4

88.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 MX$29.36

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.89 MX$53.5

29.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.68 MX$31.11

94.05%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.79 MX$33.06

132.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.64 MX$123

94.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.04 MX$149

76.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.78 MX$199

50.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.58 MX$84.7

-5.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 MX$30.46

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.38 MX$62.5

33.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.13 MX$57.9

38.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.47 MX$64.2

-25.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.96 MX$54.7

-20.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.31 MX$24.12

35.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.78 MX$14.46

184.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$8.16 MX$151

21.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.66 MX$123

126.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.12 MX$20.74

160.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.70 MX$49.94

28.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.88 MX$16.27

69.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.85 MX$89.6

-43.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 MX$27.16

-35.37%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.1K MX$389.7K

70.92%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.8K MX$458.4K

9.15%

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

$229 $229

$39.89 MX$737

474.05%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$14.81 MX$274

301.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$21.72 MX$401

221.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$19.02 MX$351

200.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.85 MX$256

17.91%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.87 MX$71.6

268.99%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$162 MX$2,994

829.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$64.4 MX$1,191

-18.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$44.58 MX$824

-1.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$107 MX$1,985

-21.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$83.2 MX$1,538

23.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$519 MX$9,593

267.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$150 MX$2,763

752.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$956 MX$17.7K

283.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$331 MX$6,118

666.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$449 MX$8,293

1041.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.6

-41.47%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Acapulco

$150 17.4% 88.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Acapulco

$269 31.3% 33.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Acapulco

$76 8.9% 78.7% $282

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Acapulco

$195 22.7% 45% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Acapulco

$135 15.7% 5.4% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Acapulco

$27 3.1% 68.8% $59

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 85.7% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $519 in Acapulco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1041% higher in Austin, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Austin, TX versus $38.00 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $405 vs $269 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

658,609

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Acapulco 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Acapulco

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

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

Austin, TX costs about 210% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Austin, TX and $1,288 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,663 in Austin, TX and $859 in Acapulco. That's a gap of about 210%.

Kindergarten costs $1,506 per month in Austin, TX and $162 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Austin, TX at $2,663. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Acapulco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Austin, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.