Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Isla Mujeres

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,135 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Isla Mujeres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,135 in Isla Mujeres.

Austin, TX $2,689
Isla Mujeres $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,803 in Isla Mujeres.

Austin, TX $4,112
Isla Mujeres $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $2,471 in Isla Mujeres.

Austin, TX $5,534
Isla Mujeres $2,471

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 137% more expensive than in Isla Mujeres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Isla Mujeres is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$10.61 MX$198

101.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$39.45 MX$738

122.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$7.91 MX$148

57.27%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.28 MX$61.3

70.73%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.29 MX$24.21

182.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.89 MX$16.70

168.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.27 MX$42.41

244.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.93 MX$73.4

122.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.44 MX$27.00

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.51 MX$46.93

44.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.55 MX$29.05

125.81%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$2.38 MX$44.52

86.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$7.95 MX$149

65.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$8.06 MX$151

72.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$10.66 MX$199

54.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.61 MX$48.87

81.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.38 MX$25.83

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.80 MX$33.69

157.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.72 MX$32.10

162.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.84 MX$34.38

38.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.92 MX$35.89

24.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.26 MX$23.64

46.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.01 MX$18.96

110.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.20 MX$78.6

139.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.95 MX$205

35.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.61 MX$30.08

75.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.72 MX$50.9

20.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.66 MX$12.26

86.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

$30.36 MX$568

36.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.62 MX$48.96

2.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.61 MX$30.15

1.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$8.12 MX$152

333.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.27 MX$23.66

-22.83%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$20.8K MX$388.4K

65.56%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$22.4K MX$419.4K

19.58%

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

$252 $252

$57.0 MX$1,066

342.43%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$22.37 MX$418

167.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$28.07 MX$525

148.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$36.42 MX$681

65.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$15.86 MX$297

14.38%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$4.66 MX$87.2

195.06%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$207 MX$3,880

602.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$3,591 MX$67.2K

640.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$53.9 MX$1,009

-2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$40.34 MX$755

13.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$88.9 MX$1,662

-3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$78.0 MX$1,459

35.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$504 MX$9,435

335.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$394 MX$7,366

222.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$931 MX$17.4K

329.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$757 MX$14.2K

217.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$1,761 MX$32.9K

319.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,172 MX$21.9K

152.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.48

-40.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Isla Mujeres: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Isla Mujeres

$394 34.7% 69% $875

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Isla Mujeres

$250 22.1% 38.5% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Isla Mujeres

$107 9.5% 71.9% $274

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Isla Mujeres

$176 15.5% 50.6% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Isla Mujeres

$118 10.4% 9.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Isla Mujeres

$46 4% 47.9% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Isla Mujeres

$44 3.9% 23.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $504 in Isla Mujeres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $39 in Isla Mujeres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $250 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

13,174

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Isla Mujeres 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Isla Mujeres

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 Isla Mujeres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isla Mujeres wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isla Mujeres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,034 in Austin, TX and $1,702 in Isla Mujeres 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: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $504 in Isla Mujeres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,689 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,135 in Isla Mujeres – Isla Mujeres is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Isla Mujeres runs roughly 27% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,135 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres 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.

Expats usually find Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.