Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guanacaste

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,548 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,548 in Guanacaste.

Austin, TX $2,663
Guanacaste $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,428 in Guanacaste.

Austin, TX $4,133
Guanacaste $2,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,309 in Guanacaste.

Austin, TX $5,603
Guanacaste $3,309

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 72% more expensive than in Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Guanacaste 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.82 ₡4,860

91.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$48.68 ₡21.9K

73.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.68 ₡5,248

5.48%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.53 ₡2,036

24.28%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.75 ₡1,236

35.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.94 ₡872

28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.16 ₡1,420

154.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.54 ₡2,041

98.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.00 ₡897

-44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.04 ₡1,366

23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.43 ₡1,092

34.16%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.54 ₡1,591

17.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.44 ₡2,442

137.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.47 ₡2,006

216.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.84 ₡4,870

49.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.56 ₡1,149

69.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.64 ₡737

-10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.51 ₡2,026

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.56 ₡699

178.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.90 ₡1,753

-33.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.23 ₡1,004

5.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.85 ₡384

109.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.09 ₡1,389

-28.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.42 ₡1,988

123.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$20.31 ₡9,125

-25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.90 ₡1,302

0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.66 ₡1,193

30.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.30 ₡583

14.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.45 ₡1,102

11.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.55 ₡698

7.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.80 ₡3,952

301.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 ₡696

-38.71%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

65.16%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$35.4K ₡15.9M

-23.60%

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

$229 $229

$96.5 ₡43.4K

137.34%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.34 ₡16.3K

63.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$32.76 ₡14.7K

113.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.57 ₡3,401

88.64%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$974 ₡437.5K

54.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

23.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$65.6 ₡29.5K

-19.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$43.46 ₡19.5K

0.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$88.9 ₡39.9K

-4.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$76.9 ₡34.5K

33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$812 ₡364.9K

134.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$625 ₡280.9K

103.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,920 ₡862.8K

90.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,264 ₡568.2K

100.75%

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

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 Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Guanacaste

$625 40.4% 50.9% $649

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Guanacaste

$311 20.1% 23.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Guanacaste

$166 10.7% 53.8% $193

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Guanacaste

$220 14.2% 38% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Guanacaste

$124 8% 3.4% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Guanacaste

$87 5.6% 1.6% $1.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Guanacaste

$15 * 1% 73.7% $43

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 $812 in Guanacaste. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $49.00 in Guanacaste for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $311 per month, with Guanacaste cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,823

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Guanacaste 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Guanacaste

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 Guanacaste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanacaste wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guanacaste the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,321 in Guanacaste to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $812 in Guanacaste. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $974 in Guanacaste. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Guanacaste – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Guanacaste versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guanacaste but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guanacaste the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guanacaste delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,548 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guanacaste hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Guanacaste gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.