Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,214 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,214 in Cali.

Austin, TX $2,689
Cali $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,827 in Cali.

Austin, TX $4,112
Cali $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $2,439 in Cali.

Austin, TX $5,534
Cali $2,439

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 122% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Cali is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$5.20 COP 16.7K

310.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$56.3 COP 181.1K

56.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$6.03 COP 19.4K

106.30%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.15 COP 10.1K

77.78%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$2.37 COP 7,611

54.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.25 COP 7,224

6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.36 COP 10.8K

132.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.51 COP 11.3K

149.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.67 COP 5,372

-32.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.75 COP 5,619

106.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.74 COP 5,601

101.15%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$3.05 COP 9,798

45.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$8.80 COP 28.3K

49.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$9.46 COP 30.4K

47.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$10.84 COP 34.9K

51.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.75 COP 12.1K

26.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.16 COP 3,737

29.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.32 COP 4,261

251.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.04 COP 6,569

121.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.66 COP 5,350

53.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.60 COP 5,162

49.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.92 COP 2,955

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.86 COP 2,773

147.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.51 COP 14.5K

122.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$15.11 COP 48.6K

-1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.51 COP 4,872

86.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.88 COP 6,047

75.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.07 COP 3,431

14.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

$65.6 COP 210.9K

-36.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.19 COP 3,824

125.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$0.57 COP 1,830

185.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$3.29 COP 10.6K

969.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.28 COP 4,126

-23.44%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$34.8K COP 111.9M

-1.16%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.4K COP 110.5M

-21.94%

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

$252 $252

$104 COP 333.7K

143.18%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$14.63 COP 47.1K

309.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$27.06 COP 87.0K

157.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$30.34 COP 97.6K

98.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$10.18 COP 32.8K

78.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$4.92 COP 15.8K

179.47%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$414 COP 1.3M

252.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$11.1K COP 35.6M

139.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$81.6 COP 262.3K

-35.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$43.07 COP 138.5K

6.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$116 COP 372.4K

-26.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$100.0 COP 321.6K

5.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$703 COP 2.3M

212.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$397 COP 1.3M

219.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$1,501 COP 4.8M

166.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$543 COP 1.7M

343.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$1,720 COP 5.5M

329.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,429 COP 4.6M

107.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$598 COP 1.9M

743.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

13.88

-50.86%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Cali

$397 32.7% 68.7% $872

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Cali

$265 21.8% 35.1% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Cali

$145 12% 61.9% $236

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Cali

$140 11.5% 60.8% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Cali

$153 12.6% 17.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Cali

$40 3.3% 54.3% $48

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Cali

$74 6.1% 29.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $703 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $56 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $265 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,568,609

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cali 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 8.4 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 $703 in Cali. 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 $1,214 in Cali – Cali is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 37% less than in Cali. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,214 in Cali versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cali 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.

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