Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Cold Lake: $1,912 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
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Cold Lake Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Cold Lake

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,912 in Cold Lake.

Austin, TX $2,663
Cold Lake $1,912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,791 in Cold Lake.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cold Lake $2,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,670 in Cold Lake.

Austin, TX $5,603
Cold Lake $3,670

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 39% more expensive than in Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Cold Lake 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$19.96 CA$28.21

4.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$57.5 CA$81.2

47.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.67 CA$13.68

27.40%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.82 CA$5.40

47.38%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.26 CA$3.19

64.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.42 CA$2.01

76.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.57 CA$7.87

44.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.14 CA$8.68

46.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.16 CA$1.64

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.18 CA$3.09

72.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.87 CA$4.06

13.59%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.07 CA$4.35

35.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.61 CA$14.99

21.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.16 CA$15.77

26.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$18.77 CA$26.53

-13.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.50 CA$4.94

23.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.16 CA$1.64

25.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.81 CA$3.97

60.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.48 CA$3.50

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.15 CA$3.04

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.06 CA$1.50

121.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.33 CA$3.30

-23.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.75 CA$2.48

26.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.94 CA$16.88

-17.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.41 CA$16.14

32.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.57 CA$5.05

-18.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.85 CA$4.03

21.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.92 CA$4.13

-6.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.38 CA$1.95

20.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$20.67 CA$29.22

70.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.03 CA$1.45

-7.77%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.3K CA$40.0K

27.55%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.4K CA$27.4K

39.67%

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

$229 $229

$225 CA$318

1.77%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$43.04 CA$60.8

37.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$54.3 CA$76.7

28.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.61 CA$17.82

13.24%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$761 CA$1,075

97.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

127.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$28.35 CA$40.08

86.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.05 CA$49.55

25.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$51.5 CA$72.8

64.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$85.9 CA$121

19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$860 CA$1,216

121.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$840 CA$1,188

51.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,544 CA$2,183

137.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,397 CA$1,975

81.66%

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

$3,084 CA$4,359

66.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.32

57.18%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 34% $434

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 17.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 10% $36

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 18.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 29.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 70.6% $61

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 83.3% $49

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 $860 in Cold Lake. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 66% 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 $57.0 in Cold Lake for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $335 per month, with Cold Lake cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

11,595

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cold Lake 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cold Lake wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cold Lake the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 66% 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 $860 in Cold Lake. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $761 in Cold Lake. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cold Lake – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,912 in Cold Lake versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cold Lake but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cold Lake 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 Cold Lake gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.