Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarda: $1,281 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
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Guarda Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,281 in Guarda.

Austin, TX $2,698
Guarda $1,281

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,993 in Guarda.

Austin, TX $4,160
Guarda $1,993

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,705 in Guarda.

Austin, TX $5,622
Guarda $2,705

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 111% more expensive than in Guarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Guarda is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$12.86 €11.44

60.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$45.18 €40.19

87.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$11.11 €9.89

8.64%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$1.70 €1.51

222.35%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.92 €1.71

97.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.67 €1.48

47.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.27 €2.02

254.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.95 €3.52

124.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.98 €0.87

13.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.67 €1.49

122.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.60 €1.42

110.63%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.79 €3.37

13.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$11.34 €10.08

15.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$11.99 €10.67

18.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$23.90 €21.25

-31.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.41 €2.14

88.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.69 €1.50

-13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.11 €1.87

123.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.34 €2.08

77.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.34 €2.08

10.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.32 €2.07

1.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.92 €0.82

92.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.14 €1.01

87.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.84 €6.08

47.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.13 €4.57

196.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.72 €1.53

63.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.51 €2.23

37.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.69 €1.51

-8.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$4.96 €4.41

-43.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$17.02 €15.14

101.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.21 €1.96

-57.47%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$32.4K €28.8K

4.89%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.5K €34.3K

-30.51%

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

$223 $223

$190 €169

17.26%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$16.68 €14.83

253.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$49.92 €44.40

41.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$56.1 €49.94

2.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.92 €6.16

106.07%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$429 €382

252.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$13.5K €12.0K

54.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$33.49 €29.79

53.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$22.63 €20.13

95.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$134 €119

-35.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$165 €147

-36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$398 €354

387.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$284 €253

363.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$736 €655

397.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$561 €499

357.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,364 €1,213

439.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.27

107.65%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Guarda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Guarda

$284 22.2% 78.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Guarda

$309 24.1% 23.9% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Guarda

$256 20% 27.2% $96

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Guarda

$190 14.9% 45.7% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Guarda

$160 12.5% 23.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Guarda

$70 5.5% 18.8% $16

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Guarda

$12 * 0.9% 79.7% $46

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $398 in Guarda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $45.00 in Guarda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $309 per month, with Guarda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇹 Guarda

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

15:42 3:42 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

40,126

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Guarda 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Guarda

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 Guarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guarda wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guarda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,922 in Guarda 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $398 in Guarda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $429 in Guarda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Guarda – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Guarda versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guarda but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guarda 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 Guarda 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 Guarda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.