Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Fortaleza

For one person, living is cheaper in Fortaleza: $942 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Fortaleza
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Fortaleza Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Fortaleza

🇧🇷 Brazil

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $942 in Fortaleza.

Austin, TX $2,704
Fortaleza $942

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,419 in Fortaleza.

Austin, TX $4,133
Fortaleza $1,419

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,897 in Fortaleza.

Austin, TX $5,562
Fortaleza $1,897

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 187% more expensive than in Fortaleza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Fortaleza is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$5.97 R$29.79

238.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$30.26 R$151

181.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.86 R$39.22

57.12%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.26 R$11.26

142.04%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.20 R$6.00

218.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.68 R$3.42

267.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.26 R$11.29

256.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.98 R$19.89

125.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.19 R$5.95

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.98 R$9.89

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.15 R$5.74

182.61%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.86 R$9.29

122.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.76 R$38.73

68.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.05 R$20.22

253.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.48 R$47.34

68.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.86 R$14.28

53.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.32 R$6.60

9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$0.83 R$4.14

446.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.74 R$8.69

140.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.28 R$6.40

105.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.12 R$5.58

110.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.00 R$4.99

76.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.03 R$5.14

109.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.13 R$10.63

360.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.06 R$35.25

108.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.54 R$7.67

80.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.66 R$8.26

109.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.98 R$4.89

52.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$19.74 R$98.6

105.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.44 R$7.17

85.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.80 R$3.99

97.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.43 R$37.08

374.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.33 R$6.63

-25.56%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$23.6K R$117.7K

51.79%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$32.0K R$159.8K

-15.11%

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

$219 $219

$127 R$634

72.75%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$10.79 R$53.9

437.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$21.43 R$107

218.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$26.70 R$133

116.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$43.44 R$217

-65.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.89 R$29.38

139.90%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$207 R$1,033

629.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,034 R$20.1K

431.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$67.1 R$335

-22.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$61.0 R$304

-27.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$126 R$630

-32.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$68.9 R$344

52.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$428 R$2,137

351.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$236 R$1,177

439.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$584 R$2,917

528.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$359 R$1,792

603.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,653 R$13.2K

187.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,184 R$5,909

170.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$482 R$2,404

960.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.38

-40.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Fortaleza: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Fortaleza

$236 25.3% 81.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Fortaleza

$198 21.2% 51% $205

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Fortaleza

$125 13.5% 64% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Fortaleza

$159 17.1% 54% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Fortaleza

$145 15.6% 12.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Fortaleza

$38 4.1% 55.4% $48

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Fortaleza

$29 3.1% 49% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $428 in Fortaleza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 960% 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 $30.00 in Fortaleza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $198 per month, with Fortaleza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇷 Fortaleza

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,428,708

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Fortaleza 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Fortaleza

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 Fortaleza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fortaleza wins on cost – living expenses run 187% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fortaleza the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 960% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $428 in Fortaleza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $942 in Fortaleza – a 187% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Fortaleza runs roughly 105% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $942 in Fortaleza versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fortaleza but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Fortaleza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fortaleza delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $942 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fortaleza hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Fortaleza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.