Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Alicante

For one person, living is cheaper in Alicante: $1,803 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,803 in Alicante.

Austin, TX $2,704
Alicante $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,791 in Alicante.

Austin, TX $4,133
Alicante $2,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,779 in Alicante.

Austin, TX $5,562
Alicante $3,779

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 50% more expensive than in Alicante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Alicante 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$19.46 €17.36

3.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$67.2 €60.0

26.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.36 €10.14

8.71%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.16 €1.93

153.24%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.14 €1.91

78.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.32 €1.18

89.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.29 €2.94

144.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.33 €2.98

169.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.15 €1.03

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.69 €1.51

123.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.69 €1.51

92.31%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.22 €2.87

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.72 €15.82

-26.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.50 €8.48

50.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$16.16 €14.42

-1.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.62 €2.33

67.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.09 €1.86

-30.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.83 €1.63

148.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.69 €2.40

55.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.84 €1.64

42.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.02 €1.80

16.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.25 €1.12

40.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.65 €0.58

232.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$6.73 €6.00

45.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$5.70 €5.09

158.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.20 €1.07

131.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.15 €1.92

61.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.62 €1.44

-8.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$26.35 €23.51

53.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.00 €2.68

-11.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.33 €1.19

18.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$16.98 €15.15

107.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.75 €1.56

-43.43%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.8K €31.1K

2.78%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$28.9K €25.7K

-5.82%

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

$219 $219

$138 €123

58.49%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$18.71 €16.70

209.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$29.82 €26.61

129.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$41.39 €36.94

39.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$17.06 €15.23

-13.13%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$9.52 €8.50

48.42%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$709 €633

112.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,531 €8,505

125.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$83.9 €74.9

-38.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$35.58 €31.75

23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$96.9 €86.5

-12.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$106 €94.8

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,016 €907

90.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$837 €747

51.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,700 €1,517

115.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,537 €1,372

64.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,254 €3,797

79.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,066 €1,844

54.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,925 €1,718

165.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.99

127.09%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Alicante

$837 46.2% 34.2% $435

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Alicante

$288 15.9% 28.6% $115

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Alicante

$253 13.9% 27.4% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Alicante

$187 10.3% 45.9% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Alicante

$145 8% 12.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Alicante

$60 3.3% 29.9% $26

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Alicante

$42 2.3% 25.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,016 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 165% 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 $67.0 in Alicante for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $288 per month, with Alicante cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

349,282

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Alicante 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Alicante

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 Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 165% 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 $1,016 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $709 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,803 in Alicante versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,803 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Alicante 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 Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.