Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cuautla

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuautla: $1,253 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,663
/mo nomad
Cuautla
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,253
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,253 in Cuautla.

  • Austin, TX $2,663
  • Cuautla $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,999 in Cuautla.

  • Austin, TX $4,133
  • Cuautla $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,745 in Cuautla.

  • Austin, TX $5,603
  • Cuautla $2,745

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 113% more expensive than in Cuautla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Cuautla is 7% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.77 $20.77
$11.03 MX$204
88.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.6 $84.6
$64.2 MX$1,186
31.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.32 $12.32
$9.42 MX$174
30.79%
Cappuccino
$5.63 $5.63
$3.71 MX$68.5
51.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 $3.72
$1.63 MX$30.20
128.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$1.04 MX$19.22
140.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.05 $8.05
$3.27 MX$60.5
146.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.01 $9.01
$5.54 MX$102
62.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.92 MX$35.52
-41.67%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 $3.75
$2.79 MX$51.6
34.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.26 $3.26
$1.94 MX$35.82
68.04%
Eggs
$4.17 $4.17
$2.75 MX$50.8
51.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.90 $12.90
$8.75 MX$162
47.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.16 $14.16
$9.17 MX$169
54.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.22 $16.22
$13.77 MX$255
17.79%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$3.39 MX$62.7
27.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.60 MX$29.55
-8.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$2.14 MX$39.45
110.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 $4.34
$1.94 MX$35.78
123.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.58 $2.58
$1.86 MX$34.37
38.71%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.76 MX$32.51
33.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.51 MX$27.96
17.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.19 MX$22.07
86.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.88 $9.88
$4.50 MX$83.2
119.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.08 $15.08
$17.50 MX$323
-13.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.92 $2.92
$2.24 MX$41.32
30.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$3.95 MX$73.0
-12.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 $1.49
$0.63 MX$11.60
136.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.72 $41.72
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.73 $2.73
$3.23 MX$59.6
-15.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 $1.66
$2.54 MX$47.02
-34.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.30 $35.30
$11.09 MX$205
218.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$1.31 MX$24.22
-27.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K $36.0K
$20.8K MX$384.9K
73.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K $27.1K
$24.0K MX$444.0K
12.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$229 $229
$58.8 MX$1,087
289.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.4 $59.4
$26.84 MX$496
121.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.9 $69.9
$24.52 MX$453
185.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 $57.2
$36.29 MX$671
57.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 $16.33
$20.97 MX$387
-22.13%
Cinema Ticket
$14.28 $14.28
$7.36 MX$136
94.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,506 $1,506
$263 MX$4,865
472.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K $21.5K
$5,033 MX$93.0K
326.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.8 $52.8
$51.9 MX$959
1.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.82 $43.82
$45.28 MX$837
-3.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.8 $84.8
$99.8 MX$1,844
-15.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$98.4 MX$1,817
4.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,907 $1,907
$645 MX$11.9K
195.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,274 $1,274
$434 MX$8,019
193.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,664 $3,664
$1,182 MX$21.8K
209.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,538 $2,538
$736 MX$13.6K
245.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,614 $7,614
$1,712 MX$31.6K
344.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,157 $3,157
$1,075 MX$19.9K
193.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Austin, TX
Cuautla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,121 $5,121
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
11.99
-43.37%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cuautla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
$1.3K
Cuautla
$434 65.9% $840
Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
$405
Cuautla
$308 24% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
$358
Cuautla
$110 69.2% $248
Eating Out
Austin, TX
$354
Cuautla
$199 43.7% $155
Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
$128
Cuautla
$133 3.8% $4.9
Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
$86
Cuautla
$51 40.5% $35
Getting Around
Austin, TX
$59
Cuautla
$18 * 68.5% $40

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 $645 in Cuautla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $64.0 in Cuautla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $308 per month, with Cuautla cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🇲🇽 Cuautla
🕒 Local time
07:26 7:26 AM
06:26 6:26 AM
1 h behind Austin, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
974,447
157,336
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Austin, TX Cuautla 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Austin, TX
  • Cuautla

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 Cuautla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Austin, TX or Cuautla?
Cuautla wins on cost – living expenses run 113% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cuautla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Austin, TX and in Cuautla?
You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,880 in Cuautla to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Austin, TX compared to Cuautla?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $645 in Cuautla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Austin, TX and in Cuautla?
Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $263 in Cuautla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Austin, TX and in Cuautla?
Dining out is cheaper in Cuautla – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Austin, TX or in Cuautla?
At $1,253 in Cuautla versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuautla but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cuautla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Austin, TX or Cuautla?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cuautla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 113% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Austin, TX vs other spots: cost of living compared

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