Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in El Nido

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $739 in El Nido.

Austin, TX $2,698
El Nido $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,148 in El Nido.

Austin, TX $4,160
El Nido $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,557 in El Nido.

Austin, TX $5,622
El Nido $1,557

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 265% more expensive than in El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, El Nido is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$4.84 ₱305

326.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$28.13 ₱1,771

200.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$3.70 ₱233

226.22%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.25 ₱142

143.56%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.17 ₱73.8

224.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.32 ₱20.45

671.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.30 ₱81.8

519.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$1.99 ₱125

346.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.59 ₱100

-30.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.00 ₱63.1

272.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.29 ₱81.4

161.24%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.95 ₱123

121.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$5.33 ₱336

146.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.98 ₱250

255.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$6.98 ₱439

133.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.25 ₱142

102.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.54 ₱97.1

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.26 ₱142

108.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.16 ₱72.8

257.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.95 ₱123

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.01 ₱127

16.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.92 ₱58.0

92.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.53 ₱33.65

303.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.35 ₱211

201.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.24 ₱456

109.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.00 ₱62.9

182.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.87 ₱118

83.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.24 ₱15.07

541.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$10.28 ₱648

298.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.85 ₱53.8

229.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.20 ₱12.47

700.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$1.72 ₱108

1896.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.31 ₱82.3

-28.24%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

77.15%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

23.94%

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

$223 $223

$121 ₱7,638

83.54%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$14.38 ₱906

309.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$24.44 ₱1,539

188.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$34.90 ₱2,197

65.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$3.99 ₱251

314.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.23 ₱329

172.66%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$124 ₱7,818

1116.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$6,869 ₱432.4K

204.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$33.86 ₱2,132

51.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$18.81 ₱1,185

134.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$66.9 ₱4,211

30.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$49.95 ₱3,145

108.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$269 ₱17.0K

620.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$177 ₱11.2K

642.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$535 ₱33.7K

584.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$358 ₱22.5K

617.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,607 ₱164.1K

182.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$900 ₱56.7K

247.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$257 ₱16.2K

1959.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

El Nido

$177 24% 86.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 57.1% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 54.5% $192

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 73.4% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 40.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 47.4% $41

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 77.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $269 in El Nido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1960% 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 $28.00 in El Nido for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $174 per month, with El Nido cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

03:57 3:57 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

50,494

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX El Nido 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
El Nido

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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Nido wins on cost – living expenses run 265% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making El Nido the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1960% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $269 in El Nido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $739 in El Nido – a 265% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in El Nido runs roughly 299% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $739 in El Nido versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Nido but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes El Nido 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and El Nido are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find El Nido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 265% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.