Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,735 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Austin, TX is 13.8% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 55.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Austin, TX is 20.1% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 51% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$11.78 ₡5,312

71.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$55.5 ₡25.0K

53.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.72 ₡4,831

15.21%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.49 ₡2,023

21.83%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.33 ₡1,051

63.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.81 ₡815

38.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.23 ₡1,455

149.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.42 ₡1,992

103.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.30 ₡1,037

-50.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.55 ₡1,600

6.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.71 ₡1,221

19.93%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.05 ₡1,825

2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.92 ₡4,473

31.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.49 ₡4,729

36.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$13.56 ₡6,111

17.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$5.13 ₡2,312

-14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.68 ₡758

-13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.63 ₡1,639

25.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.24 ₡1,463

29.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.40 ₡1,534

-22.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.09 ₡1,394

-23.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.11 ₡501

58.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.64 ₡1,192

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.43 ₡2,446

80.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$15.63 ₡7,048

-5.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.75 ₡1,238

1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.27 ₡1,472

6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.07 ₡480

39.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-37.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.18 ₡981

22.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.03 ₡916

-22.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.82 ₡3,977

300.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.53 ₡688

-35.29%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$32.8K ₡14.8M

9.24%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$36.0K ₡16.2M

-24.46%

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

$219 $219

$93.4 ₡42.1K

134.76%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$30.19 ₡13.6K

92.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$57.1 ₡25.7K

19.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-11.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$22.13 ₡9,976

-33.03%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.09 ₡3,645

74.66%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$740 ₡333.8K

103.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.6K ₡5.7M

70.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$75.5 ₡34.0K

-31.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-19.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$127 ₡57.4K

-33.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$107 ₡48.3K

-1.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$833 ₡375.3K

132.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$641 ₡289.1K

98.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,776 ₡800.8K

106.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,191 ₡536.9K

112.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,437 ₡1.1M

212.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,631 ₡735.2K

96.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,033 ₡465.8K

394.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.56

-28.97%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 49.6% $631

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 5.9% $24

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 36.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 47.7% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 27.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 5.7% $4.9

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 43.6% $25

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

5,044,197

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Costa Rica 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Costa Rica

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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