Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Alexandria, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,010 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,010

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,010 in Alexandria.

Austin, TX $2,689
Alexandria $1,010

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,672 in Alexandria.

Austin, TX $4,112
Alexandria $1,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $2,335 in Alexandria.

Austin, TX $5,534
Alexandria $2,335

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 166% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Alexandria is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$13.68 JMD 2,159

55.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$75.6 JMD 11.9K

16.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$8.15 JMD 1,285

52.64%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$5.23 JMD 825

7.07%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.20 JMD 189

204.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.71 JMD 112

236.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.24 JMD 354

249.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.10 JMD 490

182.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$4.26 JMD 672

-73.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.83 JMD 605

-5.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.64 JMD 260

113.41%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$3.58 JMD 565

24.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$11.47 JMD 1,810

14.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$6.36 JMD 1,004

119.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$10.36 JMD 1,635

58.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$5.90 JMD 931

-19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$3.93 JMD 621

-61.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.08 JMD 486

46.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.32 JMD 524

-23.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.71 JMD 428

-11.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.11 JMD 490

-40.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.43 JMD 226

48.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$9.44 JMD 1,489

6.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$11.12 JMD 1,754

33.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.84 JMD 449

-0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.08 JMD 643

-19.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.30 JMD 205

106.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.10 JMD 489

-47.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$6.13 JMD 967

474.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 JMD 228

-32.41%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-23.24%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

-18.70%

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

$252 $252

$171 JMD 26.9K

47.93%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$29.42 JMD 4,643

103.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$52.5 JMD 8,282

32.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$13.21 JMD 2,084

4.09%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$364 JMD 57.4K

300.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$8,081 JMD 1.3M

228.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$23.82 JMD 3,759

120.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$31.00 JMD 4,892

47.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$79.0 JMD 12.5K

8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$101 JMD 15.9K

4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

9.45

-27.83%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Alexandria

$387 38.4% 4.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Alexandria

$252 25% 33.9% $129

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Alexandria

$222 21.9% 37.7% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Alexandria

$106 10.5% 19% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.6% 69.9% $61

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.7% 70.6% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $76 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $387 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,927

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Alexandria 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,689 in Austin, TX and $1,010 in Alexandria, so Alexandria is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,034 in Austin, TX and $1,516 in Alexandria to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $364 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $76 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,010 in Alexandria versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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.