Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Escazu

For one person, living is cheaper in Escazu: $1,933 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
Learn more

Escazu Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,933 in Escazu.

Austin, TX $2,663
Escazu $1,933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,966 in Escazu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Escazu $2,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,999 in Escazu.

Austin, TX $5,603
Escazu $3,999

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 38% more expensive than in Escazu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Escazu 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.23 ₡5,486

69.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$62.1 ₡27.9K

36.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.48 ₡5,146

7.32%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.56 ₡2,045

23.46%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.72 ₡1,218

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.85 ₡828

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.36 ₡1,505

139.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.47 ₡2,006

101.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.32 ₡1,040

-51.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.12 ₡1,397

20.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.49 ₡1,117

30.92%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.59 ₡1,611

16.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.61 ₡4,757

21.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.22 ₡4,581

38.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.94 ₡6,252

16.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.13 ₡2,301

-15.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.62 ₡726

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.16 ₡1,416

42.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.07 ₡1,378

41.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.79 ₡1,698

-31.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.73 ₡1,674

-37.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.04 ₡465

71.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.70 ₡762

30.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.53 ₡2,479

78.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.39 ₡8,249

-18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.66 ₡745

75.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.68 ₡1,202

29.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.09 ₡491

36.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.06 ₡923

32.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.57 ₡704

5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.76 ₡3,927

302.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.48 ₡664

-35.81%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.4K ₡10.1M

60.80%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$35.2K ₡15.8M

-23.05%

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

$229 $229

$94.6 ₡42.4K

142.19%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$29.81 ₡13.4K

99.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$60.1 ₡27.0K

16.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$108 ₡48.6K

-47.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.15 ₡4,550

60.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.81 ₡3,502

82.84%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$457 ₡204.9K

229.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.1 ₡31.9K

-25.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.7 ₡25.0K

-21.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$131 ₡58.6K

-35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$130 ₡58.4K

-20.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$834 ₡373.9K

128.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$845 ₡378.8K

50.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,961 ₡879.3K

86.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,508 ₡676.4K

68.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,407 ₡630.8K

441.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$972 ₡435.7K

224.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,746 ₡782.8K

193.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Escazu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Escazu

$845 43.7% 33.7% $429

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Escazu

$361 18.7% 10.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Escazu

$184 9.5% 48.5% $174

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Escazu

$231 12% 34.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Escazu

$174 9% 36.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Escazu

$124 6.4% 44.5% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Escazu

$14 * 0.7% 75.7% $44

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 $834 in Escazu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 193% 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 $62.0 in Escazu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $361 per month, with Escazu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 Escazu

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

11,984

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Austin, TX
Escazu

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 Escazu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Escazu wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Escazu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 193% 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 $834 in Escazu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $457 in Escazu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Escazu – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,933 in Escazu versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Escazu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Escazu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Escazu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,933 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Escazu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Escazu 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 Escazu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.