Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Aguascalientes

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,113 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
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Aguascalientes Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aguascalientes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,113 in Aguascalientes.

Austin, TX $2,704
Aguascalientes $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,744 in Aguascalientes.

Austin, TX $4,133
Aguascalientes $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,375 in Aguascalientes.

Austin, TX $5,562
Aguascalientes $2,375

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 143% more expensive than in Aguascalientes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Aguascalientes is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$12.50 MX$229

61.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$44.72 MX$821

90.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.00 MX$129

76.43%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.86 MX$70.9

41.71%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.64 MX$30.09

132.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.21 MX$22.21

106.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.18 MX$40.03

269.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.26 MX$59.8

175.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.47 MX$26.98

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.22 MX$40.72

70.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.56 MX$28.69

108.33%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.45 MX$45.02

68.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.03 MX$147

62.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$8.61 MX$158

66.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$11.47 MX$211

39.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.32 MX$42.51

88.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.33 MX$24.38

9.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.54 MX$28.29

194.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.76 MX$32.37

138.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.62 MX$29.66

62.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.36 MX$25.03

73.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.99 MX$18.21

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.83 MX$15.18

160.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.38 MX$80.4

123.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.88 MX$163

65.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.81 MX$33.32

53.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.42 MX$62.8

1.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.59 MX$10.78

152.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$24.33 MX$447

66.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.22 MX$22.36

118.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.16 MX$21.37

36.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$10.96 MX$201

221.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.54 MX$28.21

-35.71%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.7K MX$397.6K

65.35%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$23.9K MX$438.9K

13.68%

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

$219 $219

$55.6 MX$1,021

294.44%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$24.71 MX$454

134.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$24.50 MX$450

179.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$31.42 MX$577

84.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$22.39 MX$411

-33.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.16 MX$94.7

173.84%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$220 MX$4,039

586.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,916 MX$53.5K

635.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$55.6 MX$1,021

-7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$37.98 MX$697

15.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$104 MX$1,916

-18.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$69.9 MX$1,284

50.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$516 MX$9,475

274.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$361 MX$6,620

252.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$810 MX$14.9K

352.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$642 MX$11.8K

293.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,183 MX$21.7K

543.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,176 MX$21.6K

172.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$884 MX$16.2K

477.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.2

-39.37%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Aguascalientes

$361 32.7% 71.7% $912

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Aguascalientes

$244 22.2% 39.4% $159

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Aguascalientes

$196 17.8% 43.7% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Aguascalientes

$105 9.5% 69.7% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Aguascalientes

$121 10.9% 6.4% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Aguascalientes

$42 3.8% 51.6% $44

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1% 40.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 477% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $45.00 in Aguascalientes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $244 per month, with Aguascalientes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

00:14 12:14 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

863,893

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Aguascalientes 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Aguascalientes

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 Aguascalientes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 143% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 477% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $516 in Aguascalientes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 67% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $220 in Aguascalientes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes 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, Austin, TX and Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 143% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.