Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Barbacena

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $857 in Barbacena.

Austin, TX $2,663
Barbacena $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,305 in Barbacena.

Austin, TX $4,133
Barbacena $1,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,753 in Barbacena.

Austin, TX $5,603
Barbacena $1,753

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 211% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Barbacena is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.35 R$26.86

288.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$20.84 R$105

305.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.93 R$29.74

107.76%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.74 R$8.73

223.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.57 R$7.89

136.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.86 R$4.30

190.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.32 R$6.62

509.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.27 R$11.37

296.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.14 R$5.69

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.06 R$10.36

82.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.22 R$6.12

167.21%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.38 R$11.96

75.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.81 R$54.3

19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.44 R$22.25

218.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.97 R$50.0

62.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.90 R$14.54

49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.83 R$9.19

-20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.57 R$7.89

187.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.79 R$9.00

142.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.21 R$6.08

113.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.04 R$5.20

125.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.71 R$3.55

150.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.70 R$3.50

217.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.02 R$15.17

227.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.83 R$39.29

92.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.18 R$5.93

147.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.42 R$12.14

42.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.97 R$4.87

53.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$45.05 R$226

-7.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.26 R$6.34

116.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.85 R$4.26

95.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.35 R$46.91

277.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.31 R$6.56

-27.48%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$23.5K R$118.0K

53.34%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.7K R$164.1K

-17.22%

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

$229 $229

$136 R$685

67.81%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$11.02 R$55.3

438.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$22.95 R$115

204.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$26.50 R$133

116.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$29.48 R$148

-44.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.94 R$39.85

79.85%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$596 R$2,992

152.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$13.4K R$67.3K

59.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$41.74 R$209

26.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$48.77 R$245

-10.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.6 R$379

12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$67.2 R$337

53.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$234 R$1,172

716.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$168 R$841

660.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$434 R$2,178

744.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$307 R$1,539

727.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,629 R$8,175

367.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,334 R$6,692

136.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.93

-43.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Barbacena

$168 19.6% 86.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Barbacena

$215 25.1% 46.9% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Barbacena

$170 19.9% 52.4% $188

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Barbacena

$102 11.9% 71.1% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Barbacena

$105 12.3% 18% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Barbacena

$42 5% 50.6% $43

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Barbacena

$54 6.4% 7.2% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $234 in Barbacena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $21.00 in Barbacena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $215 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

125,317

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Barbacena 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Barbacena

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 Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbacena wins on cost – living expenses run 211% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barbacena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,286 in Barbacena 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $234 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $857 in Barbacena – a 211% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 8% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $857 in Barbacena versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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.

Expats usually find Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 211% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.