Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Castries

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,413 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,413 in Castries.

Austin, TX $2,704
Castries $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,371 in Castries.

Austin, TX $4,133
Castries $2,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,330 in Castries.

Austin, TX $5,562
Castries $3,330

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 91% more expensive than in Castries, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Castries 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$9.42 EC$25.43

114.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$74.5 EC$201

14.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.41 EC$22.72

46.85%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.67 EC$9.90

49.05%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.97 EC$5.31

93.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.01 EC$2.73

147.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.86 EC$7.72

181.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.28 EC$8.86

174.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.02 EC$5.46

-44.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.85 EC$4.99

104.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.72 EC$4.65

88.95%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.51 EC$12.19

-8.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$11.29 EC$30.47

15.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.08 EC$24.51

57.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$14.92 EC$40.29

6.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$8.61 EC$23.25

-49.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.62 EC$4.38

-10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$8.09 EC$21.84

-43.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$14.83 EC$40.04

-71.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.50 EC$9.44

-24.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.06 EC$5.56

14.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.20 EC$5.94

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.28 EC$3.46

68.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.35 EC$25.25

4.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.95 EC$29.57

34.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.31 EC$6.23

20.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$5.70 EC$15.38

-38.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.08 EC$2.91

37.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$9.49 EC$25.63

-71.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 EC$4.11

-34.87%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$26.3K EC$70.9K

36.28%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$36.5K EC$98.6K

-25.55%

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

$219 $219

$124 EC$334

77.16%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$89.6 EC$242

-35.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$47.85 EC$129

42.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$42.35 EC$114

36.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.68 EC$15.33

148.77%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$211 EC$570

615.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$83.9 EC$226

-38.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$50.2 EC$135

-12.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$111 EC$299

-23.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$111 EC$299

-4.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$450 EC$1,216

329.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$340 EC$918

274.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,184 EC$3,195

210.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$708 EC$1,912

256.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$101 EC$273

7423.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$63.4 EC$171

4945.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,122 EC$3,028

355.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.75

-12.39%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Castries: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Castries

$340 23.7% 73.3% $932

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Castries

$431 30% 6.9% $28

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Castries

$177 12.4% 49% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Castries

$261 18.2% 24.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Castries

$160 11.1% 24.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Castries

$54 3.7% 37.7% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Castries

$14 * 1% 75.8% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $450 in Castries. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 355% 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 $74.0 in Castries. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $431, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇨 Castries

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

22,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

XCD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Castries 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Castries

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 Castries: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castries wins on cost – living expenses run 91% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castries the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 355% 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 $450 in Castries. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $211 in Castries. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Castries – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,413 in Castries versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castries but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Castries 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 Castries gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.