Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
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Bulacan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $638 in Bulacan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Bulacan $638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $927 in Bulacan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Bulacan $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,215 in Bulacan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Bulacan $1,215

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 317% more expensive than in Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Bulacan is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.00 ₱126

938.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$15.88 ₱1,000

432.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$2.71 ₱171

354.61%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.79 ₱113

214.53%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.44 ₱27.73

745.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.26 ₱16.40

861.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.93 ₱58.4

765.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.60 ₱101

463.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.61 ₱102

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.16 ₱73.1

223.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.95 ₱60.2

243.16%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.79 ₱113

132.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$2.80 ₱176

360.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.45 ₱217

310.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.03 ₱380

168.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.06 ₱130

110.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.56 ₱98.2

-6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.99 ₱125

126.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.04 ₱65.4

317.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.61 ₱102

60.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.73 ₱109

35.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.62 ₱39.15

187.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.49 ₱31.09

353.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.04 ₱191

225.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$3.53 ₱222

327.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.89 ₱56.3

228.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.56 ₱98.2

121.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.19 ₱11.82

684.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$6.68 ₱421

524.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.69 ₱43.22

295.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.15 ₱9.68

1006.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$1.87 ₱118

1787.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.06 ₱66.8

-10.38%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

66.30%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.4K ₱1.0M

65.25%

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

$229 $229

$112 ₱7,034

105.06%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.26 ₱1,087

244.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$23.39 ₱1,473

198.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$37.17 ₱2,341

54.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$0.78 ₱49.17

1993.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.09 ₱321

180.55%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$96.7 ₱6,091

1457.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$941 ₱59.3K

2179.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$28.48 ₱1,794

85.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$19.39 ₱1,221

125.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.5 ₱4,758

12.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$55.5 ₱3,495

85.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$237 ₱15.0K

703.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$146 ₱9,228

769.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$385 ₱24.3K

851.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$215 ₱13.5K

1082.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,879 ₱118.4K

305.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,458 ₱91.8K

116.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$290 ₱18.2K

1668.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.75

0.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Bulacan

$146 23% 88.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Bulacan

$147 23% 63.8% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Bulacan

$152 23.9% 57.5% $206

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Bulacan

$56 8.8% 84.1% $298

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Bulacan

$81 12.6% 37.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Bulacan

$47 7.4% 44.8% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4% 84.9% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $237 in Bulacan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1669% 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 $16.00 in Bulacan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $147 per month, with Bulacan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,700,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Bulacan 13,520 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bulacan wins on cost – living expenses run 317% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bulacan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1669% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $237 in Bulacan. 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 $638 in Bulacan – a 317% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bulacan runs roughly 525% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $638 in Bulacan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bulacan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bulacan 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 Bulacan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 317% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.