Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guanajuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,054 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
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Guanajuato Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,054 in Guanajuato.

Austin, TX $2,663
Guanajuato $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,619 in Guanajuato.

Austin, TX $4,133
Guanajuato $1,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,185 in Guanajuato.

Austin, TX $5,603
Guanajuato $2,185

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 153% more expensive than in Guanajuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Guanajuato is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.62 MX$252

52.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$44.07 MX$814

91.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.59 MX$140

62.32%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.86 MX$71.3

45.85%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.67 MX$30.87

122.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.99 MX$18.28

152.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.67 MX$49.29

201.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.84 MX$89.4

86.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 MX$29.41

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.61 MX$48.21

43.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.44 MX$26.68

126.39%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.38 MX$44.03

75.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.84 MX$89.5

166.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.57 MX$177

47.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.88 MX$219

36.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.72 MX$50.2

59.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.64 MX$30.31

-10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.03 MX$37.59

122.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.55 MX$28.73

180.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.98 MX$36.64

30.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.83 MX$33.75

28.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.52 MX$28.00

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.06 MX$19.65

109.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.83 MX$89.3

104.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.74 MX$198

40.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.88 MX$34.77

55.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.46 MX$64.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.58 MX$10.64

156.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$27.18 MX$502

53.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.17 MX$40.16

25.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.38 MX$25.53

20.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.94 MX$165

294.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.48 MX$27.33

-35.81%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$20.4K MX$376.1K

77.09%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.0K MX$443.1K

12.92%

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

$229 $229

$50.7 MX$937

351.57%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$20.05 MX$371

196.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$27.98 MX$517

149.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.52 MX$582

81.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$27.44 MX$507

-40.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.63 MX$122

115.38%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$209 MX$3,862

620.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,492 MX$101.5K

290.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$59.3 MX$1,096

-11.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.24 MX$688

17.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$77.5 MX$1,432

9.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$57.3 MX$1,058

79.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$518 MX$9,579

267.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$295 MX$5,460

331.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$779 MX$14.4K

370.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$388 MX$7,179

553.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,346 MX$24.9K

465.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,086 MX$20.1K

190.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$712 MX$13.1K

619.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guanajuato: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Guanajuato

$295 28% 76.8% $979

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Guanajuato

$261 24.8% 35.5% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Guanajuato

$99 9.4% 72.4% $260

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Guanajuato

$212 20.1% 40.2% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Guanajuato

$104 9.9% 18.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Guanajuato

$45 4.3% 47.8% $41

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Guanajuato

$39 3.7% 34.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $518 in Guanajuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 620% 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 $44.00 in Guanajuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $261 per month, with Guanajuato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

70,068

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Guanajuato 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Guanajuato

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 Guanajuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 153% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 620% 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 $518 in Guanajuato. 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 $1,054 in Guanajuato – a 153% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guanajuato runs roughly 53% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Guanajuato versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guanajuato but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guanajuato 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 Guanajuato 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 Guanajuato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.