Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Brandon, MB

For one person, living is cheaper in Brandon, MB: $1,627 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Brandon, MB
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Brandon, MB Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Brandon, MB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Brandon, MB

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,627 in Brandon, MB.

Austin, TX $2,689
Brandon, MB $1,627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $2,614 in Brandon, MB.

Austin, TX $4,112
Brandon, MB $2,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $3,601 in Brandon, MB.

Austin, TX $5,534
Brandon, MB $3,601

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 65% more expensive than in Brandon, MB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Brandon, MB 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$14.54 CA$20.38

46.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$64.2 CA$90.0

36.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$10.90 CA$15.28

14.13%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.14 CA$4.40

78.34%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.75 CA$2.46

108.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.66 CA$2.32

43.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$4.42 CA$6.19

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$5.26 CA$7.37

66.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.45 CA$2.04

-22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.03 CA$2.84

78.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.19 CA$4.47

9.72%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$3.09 CA$4.33

44.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$9.69 CA$13.59

36.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$10.48 CA$14.69

33.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$16.19 CA$22.69

1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.26 CA$4.56

45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.40 CA$1.96

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$3.57 CA$5.00

29.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.15 CA$4.42

43.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.27 CA$3.18

12.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.62 CA$3.67

-8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.51 CA$3.52

-26.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.29 CA$1.80

65.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$14.83 CA$20.79

-32.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$12.32 CA$17.27

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.41 CA$3.38

17.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.22 CA$3.11

48.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.38 CA$1.93

-10.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

$70.4 CA$98.7

-41.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.84 CA$3.98

-5.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.32 CA$1.85

23.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$24.67 CA$34.58

42.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.02 CA$1.43

-3.92%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$26.9K CA$37.7K

27.84%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$20.1K CA$28.2K

33.18%

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

$252 $252

$162 CA$226

56.18%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$33.88 CA$47.49

76.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$47.88 CA$67.1

45.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$43.59 CA$61.1

38.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$16.56 CA$23.21

9.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$10.94 CA$15.34

25.69%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$995 CA$1,394

46.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$11.3K CA$15.9K

134.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$44.50 CA$62.4

18.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$42.15 CA$59.1

8.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$69.7 CA$97.7

22.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$87.4 CA$123

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$792 CA$1,110

177.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$567 CA$795

123.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$1,374 CA$1,926

191.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$1,228 CA$1,721

95.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$2,264 CA$3,174

225.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$2,326 CA$3,260

27.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$2,496 CA$3,499

102.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.4

55.00%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brandon, MB: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Brandon, MB

$567 34.9% 55.3% $702

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Brandon, MB

$323 19.9% 20.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Brandon, MB

$243 15% 36.3% $138

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Brandon, MB

$233 14.3% 34.6% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Brandon, MB

$110 6.7% 15.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Brandon, MB

$65 4% 25.5% $22

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Brandon, MB

$85 5.3% 49.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $792 in Brandon, MB. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $64 in Brandon, MB for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $323 per month, with Brandon, MB cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Brandon, MB

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

00:34 12:34 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

46,061

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Brandon, MB 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Brandon, MB

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 Brandon, MB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brandon, MB wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brandon, MB the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 2 times higher, 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: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $792 in Brandon, MB. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,689 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,627 in Brandon, MB – Brandon, MB is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 41% less than in Brandon, MB. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,627 in Brandon, MB versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Brandon, MB but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Brandon, MB the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Brandon, MB is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Austin, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Brandon, MB wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.