Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Durango

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,051 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Durango
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Durango Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Durango

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,051 in Durango.

Austin, TX $2,663
Durango $1,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,656 in Durango.

Austin, TX $4,133
Durango $1,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,261 in Durango.

Austin, TX $5,603
Durango $2,261

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 153% more expensive than in Durango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Durango is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.30 MX$135

184.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.58 MX$565

176.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.48 MX$194

17.56%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.95 MX$35.98

188.72%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.15 MX$21.31

223.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.76 MX$14.07

228.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.39 MX$25.60

479.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.77 MX$51.1

225.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.29 MX$23.92

-13.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.54 MX$46.94

47.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.24 MX$22.95

162.90%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.27 MX$41.92

83.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.07 MX$149

59.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.15 MX$151

73.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.40 MX$174

72.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.54 MX$46.94

70.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.53 MX$28.32

-4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.76 MX$32.46

156.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.14 MX$21.10

280.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.20 MX$22.13

115.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.28 MX$23.69

83.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.79 MX$14.54

125.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.11 MX$20.51

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.63 MX$67.1

172.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.72 MX$253

9.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.74 MX$32.14

67.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.80 MX$51.7

23.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.69 MX$12.74

115.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.13 MX$20.91

141.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.86 MX$34.45

-10.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.90 MX$201

223.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.42 MX$26.26

-33.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.4K MX$358.9K

85.62%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.0K MX$443.3K

12.86%

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

$229 $229

$59.1 MX$1,092

287.46%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$21.25 MX$393

179.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$27.51 MX$508

154.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$22.49 MX$416

154.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$9.52 MX$176

71.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.91 MX$72.2

265.22%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$177 MX$3,277

749.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,325 MX$43.0K

822.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$55.6 MX$1,027

-4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$40.30 MX$745

8.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$101 MX$1,870

-16.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$90.8 MX$1,677

13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$601 MX$11.1K

217.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$393 MX$7,255

224.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,057 MX$19.5K

246.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$777 MX$14.4K

226.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,951 MX$36.0K

290.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,076 MX$19.9K

193.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$531 MX$9,814

864.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

12.3

-44.80%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Durango: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Durango

$393 37.3% 69.2% $881

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Durango

$245 23.3% 39.6% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Durango

$108 10.3% 69.9% $250

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Durango

$133 12.7% 62.3% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Durango

$130 12.3% 1.2% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Durango

$30 2.9% 64.7% $55

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Durango

$13 * 1.3% 77.5% $45

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 $601 in Durango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 864% 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 $31.00 in Durango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $245 per month, with Durango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Durango

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

518,709

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Durango 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Durango

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 Durango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durango wins on cost – living expenses run 153% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Durango the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 864% 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 $601 in Durango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $177 in Durango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Durango – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,051 in Durango versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Durango but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Durango 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 Durango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.