Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Comox, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Comox, BC: $2,381 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Comox, BC
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Comox, BC Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Comox, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Comox, BC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,381 in Comox, BC.

Austin, TX $2,663
Comox, BC $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,415 in Comox, BC.

Austin, TX $4,133
Comox, BC $3,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,448 in Comox, BC.

Austin, TX $5,603
Comox, BC $4,448

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 12% more expensive than in Comox, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Comox, BC 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.78 CA$25.28

16.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$56.8 CA$80.7

49.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.24 CA$14.56

20.31%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.64 CA$5.18

54.67%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.07 CA$2.95

79.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.56 CA$2.22

60.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.55 CA$7.89

45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.87 CA$8.34

53.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.40 CA$3.42

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.03 CA$2.88

84.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.59 CA$5.10

-9.19%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.22 CA$4.58

29.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.57 CA$12.19

50.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.34 CA$11.86

69.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$17.72 CA$25.20

-8.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.21 CA$4.56

34.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 CA$1.80

14.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.90 CA$4.13

55.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.08 CA$4.37

40.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.50 CA$3.55

3.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.07 CA$2.95

13.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.97 CA$2.79

-9.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.71 CA$2.44

29.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.89 CA$19.75

-28.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.17 CA$20.15

6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.52 CA$3.59

15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.09 CA$4.39

11.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.47 CA$4.93

-57.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$39.84 CA$56.7

4.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.68 CA$3.81

1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.49 CA$2.12

11.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$26.73 CA$38.01

32.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.33 CA$1.89

-28.57%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.6K CA$39.2K

30.74%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.6K CA$26.4K

45.63%

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

$229 $229

$182 CA$258

26.12%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$37.28 CA$53.0

59.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$63.3 CA$90.0

10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$57.5 CA$81.7

-0.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$27.85 CA$39.60

-41.36%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.46 CA$17.72

14.61%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,384 CA$1,968

8.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.7K CA$16.6K

83.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$54.0 CA$76.8

-2.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$61.3 CA$87.1

-28.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$96.0 CA$136

-11.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$87.9 CA$125

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,333 CA$1,896

43.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,217 CA$1,731

4.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,026 CA$2,881

80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,919 CA$2,728

32.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,247 CA$4,617

134.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,145 CA$4,471

0.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,013 CA$4,283

69.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.87

39.43%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Comox, BC: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Comox, BC

$1.2K 51.1% 4.4% $57

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Comox, BC

$330 13.9% 18.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Comox, BC

$282 11.9% 21.3% $76

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Comox, BC

$271 11.4% 23.5% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Comox, BC

$135 5.7% 5.2% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Comox, BC

$82 3.5% 4% $3.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Comox, BC

$64 2.7% 8.8% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,333 in Comox, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 70% 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 Comox, BC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $330 per month, with Comox, BC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Comox, BC

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

14,028

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Comox, BC 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Comox, BC

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 Comox, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Comox, BC wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Comox, BC the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 70% 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 $1,333 in Comox, BC. 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 $2,381 in Comox, BC – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Comox, BC runs roughly 5% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,381 in Comox, BC versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Comox, BC but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Comox, BC 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 Comox, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.