Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,425 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,425 in Guadalajara.

Austin, TX $2,663
Guadalajara $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,146 in Guadalajara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Guadalajara $2,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,868 in Guadalajara.

Austin, TX $5,603
Guadalajara $2,868

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 87% more expensive than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Guadalajara 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.59 €12.09

52.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$35.95 €31.98

135.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.29 €10.04

9.12%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.90 €1.69

196.32%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.75 €2.44

35.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.36 €1.21

83.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.74 €2.44

193.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.93 €3.49

129.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.18 €1.05

-5.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.85 €0.76

341.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.17 €1.93

50.23%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.97 €2.64

40.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.28 €10.04

14.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.08 €8.08

55.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$17.01 €15.13

-4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.69 €2.40

60.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.25 €2.00

-35.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.01 €1.79

124.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.82 €3.39

13.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.11 €1.88

22.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.17 €1.93

8.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.42 €1.26

25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.57 €0.50

289.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.00 €5.34

64.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.52 €4.91

173.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.07 €0.95

172.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.15 €1.91

60.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.15 €1.03

29.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.52 €4.02

-39.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.27 €2.02

-26.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$23.20 €20.64

52.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.64 €1.46

-42.07%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$34.8K €31.0K

3.60%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$28.4K €25.3K

-4.69%

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

$229 $229

$112 €99.8

104.07%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$19.80 €17.61

199.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$30.27 €26.92

130.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$35.98 €32.01

59.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$9.04 €8.04

80.64%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.63 €8.56

48.29%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$177 €158

749.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,854 €5,207

266.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.3 €63.5

-25.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.70 €31.76

22.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$78.3 €69.7

8.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$95.5 €84.9

7.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$767 €682

148.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$588 €523

116.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,269 €1,128

188.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,010 €898

151.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,482 €2,208

206.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,832 €1,630

72.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,924 €1,711

166.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.08

120.45%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Guadalajara

$588 41.3% 53.8% $686

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Guadalajara

$269 18.9% 33.5% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Guadalajara

$162 11.4% 54.7% $196

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Guadalajara

$203 14.3% 42.5% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Guadalajara

$126 8.9% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Guadalajara

$55 3.9% 35.6% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Guadalajara

$20 * 1.4% 65.1% $38

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 $767 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 166% 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 $36.00 in Guadalajara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $269 per month, with Guadalajara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇸 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

13:05 1:05 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

89,010

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Austin, TX Guadalajara 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Guadalajara

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 Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guadalajara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 166% 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 $767 in Guadalajara. 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 Guadalajara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,425 in Guadalajara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guadalajara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guadalajara 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 Guadalajara 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 Guadalajara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.