Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,913 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,913 in Fort St John, BC.

Austin, TX $2,663
Fort St John, BC $1,913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,956 in Fort St John, BC.

Austin, TX $4,133
Fort St John, BC $2,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,000 in Fort St John, BC.

Austin, TX $5,603
Fort St John, BC $4,000

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 39% more expensive than in Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Fort St John, BC 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.24 CA$24.37

20.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$41.68 CA$58.9

102.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.28 CA$13.11

32.76%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.84 CA$5.43

46.61%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.71 CA$2.42

117.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.20 CA$1.70

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.20 CA$8.76

29.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.61 CA$6.51

95.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.36 CA$4.75

-66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.77 CA$3.91

35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.70 CA$5.23

-11.89%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.93 CA$5.56

6.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.80 CA$16.69

9.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$13.63 CA$19.27

3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$18.56 CA$26.23

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.70 CA$8.06

-24.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.67 CA$0.95

117.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.75 CA$5.30

20.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.50 CA$4.95

24.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.73 CA$3.86

-5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.82 CA$3.99

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.03 CA$2.87

-12.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.51 CA$3.54

-11.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$14.53 CA$20.55

-32.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$20.83 CA$29.44

-27.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.98 CA$7.04

-41.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$5.51 CA$7.80

-37.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.37 CA$1.94

8.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$28.24 CA$39.92

47.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.17 CA$1.65

-18.80%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

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

$27.1K $27.1K

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

$229 $229

$124 CA$175

84.86%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$96.6 CA$137

-38.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$59.4 CA$83.9

17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$13.11 CA$18.53

336.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.56 CA$14.93

35.23%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$707 CA$1,000

112.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.3 CA$101

-25.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$46.86 CA$66.3

-6.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$105 CA$149

-19.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$139 CA$197

-25.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$737 CA$1,041

158.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$692 CA$979

84.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,520 CA$2,149

141.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,380 CA$1,951

83.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,001 CA$4,243

70.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.1

11.31%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Fort St John, BC

$692 36.2% 45.7% $582

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Fort St John, BC

$446 23.3% 10.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Fort St John, BC

$280 14.6% 21.9% $78

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Fort St John, BC

$264 13.8% 25.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Fort St John, BC

$163 8.5% 27.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Fort St John, BC

$34 1.8% 60.1% $52

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Fort St John, BC

$34 * 1.8% 42.5% $25

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 $737 in Fort St John, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 71% 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 $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $446, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

18,609

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Fort St John, BC 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fort St John, BC the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 71% 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 $737 in Fort St John, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,913 in Fort St John, BC – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Fort St John, BC runs roughly 48% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,913 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.