Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Castro

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $875 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Castro
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Castro Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $875 in Castro.

Austin, TX $2,663
Castro $875

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,381 in Castro.

Austin, TX $4,133
Castro $1,381

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,887 in Castro.

Austin, TX $5,603
Castro $1,887

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 204% more expensive than in Castro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Castro is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.29 CLP 8,163

150.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$46.10 CLP 45.4K

83.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.66 CLP 5,568

117.67%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.49 CLP 1,464

277.85%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.20 CLP 1,181

210.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.01 CLP 990

147.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.15 CLP 5,066

56.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.29 CLP 7,173

23.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.08 CLP 1,065

3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.51 CLP 3,451

6.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.25 CLP 1,232

160.80%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.12 CLP 4,056

1.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.67 CLP 9,523

33.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.03 CLP 3,965

251.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.49 CLP 8,358

91.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.40 CLP 1,373

209.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.30 CLP 2,268

-36.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.48 CLP 1,461

204.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.98 CLP 1,947

119.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.13 CLP 1,109

128.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.52 CLP 1,494

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.56 CLP 1,531

42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.75 CLP 3,688

163.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.78 CLP 7,662

93.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.00 CLP 987

192.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.13 CLP 3,085

10.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.66 CLP 654

125.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.30 CLP 1,282

-26.92%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$15.5K CLP 15.2M

133.18%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.2K CLP 17.9M

48.58%

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

$229 $229

$131 CLP 128.8K

74.99%

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

$59.4 $59.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$31.25 CLP 30.8K

123.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

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

$1,506 $1,506

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$81.0 CLP 79.7K

4.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$355 CLP 349.2K

437.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$290 CLP 285.5K

339.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,002 CLP 986.6K

265.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$576 CLP 566.8K

340.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$614 CLP 604.7K

733.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-3.00%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Castro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Castro

$290 33.2% 77.2% $984

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Castro

$234 * 26.7% 42.3% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Castro

$162 * 18.5% 54.8% $196

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Castro

$150 17.2% 57.5% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Castro

$36 * 4.2% 71.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Castro

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Castro

$2.7 * 0.3% 95.5% $56

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $355 in Castro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 734% 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 $46.00 in Castro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $234 per month, with Castro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇱 Castro

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

01:06 1:06 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

33,417

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Castro 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Castro

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 Castro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castro wins on cost – living expenses run 204% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 734% 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 $355 in Castro. 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 $875 in Castro – a 204% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $875 in Castro versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castro but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Castro 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 Castro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.