Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $2,224 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
Learn more

Kingston Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,224 in Kingston.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kingston $2,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,051 in Kingston.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kingston $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,879 in Kingston.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kingston $3,879

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 22% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Kingston 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$14.71 CA$20.97

37.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$62.7 CA$89.3

35.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.17 CA$15.92

10.56%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.51 CA$5.00

55.84%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.01 CA$2.87

90.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.31 CA$1.86

90.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.87 CA$8.37

37.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.27 CA$8.93

43.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.04 CA$2.90

-44.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.44 CA$3.48

54.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.29 CA$4.69

-1.22%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.90 CA$4.14

42.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.27 CA$14.64

27.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$11.31 CA$16.12

26.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.99 CA$14.24

59.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.89 CA$4.12

51.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.14 CA$1.63

27.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.51 CA$5.00

29.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.55 CA$5.06

18.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.30 CA$4.71

-20.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.24 CA$3.19

5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.61 CA$3.72

-32.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.58 CA$2.26

36.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$13.40 CA$19.10

-26.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$12.16 CA$17.33

21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.17 CA$3.09

28.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.28 CA$4.68

6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.48 CA$3.54

-39.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$56.2 CA$80.0

-27.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.07 CA$4.37

-13.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.50 CA$2.14

5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$31.06 CA$44.27

13.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.14 CA$1.63

-13.16%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$27.6K CA$39.3K

29.90%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$18.7K CA$26.7K

45.25%

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

$219 $219

$120 CA$171

82.60%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$38.49 CA$54.9

50.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$63.2 CA$90.1

8.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$28.06 CA$40.00

106.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$8.84 CA$12.60

67.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$10.41 CA$14.84

35.73%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$514 CA$733

193.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$51.7 CA$73.7

-0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$32.55 CA$46.39

35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$79.7 CA$114

6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$85.3 CA$122

23.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,535 CA$2,188

25.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,181 CA$1,684

7.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,287 CA$3,260

60.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,544 CA$2,201

63.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,384 CA$4,824

125.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,449 CA$3,491

30.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$2,979 CA$4,246

71.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.61

47.29%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3% 7.2% $91

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kingston

$326 14.7% 19.2% $77

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kingston

$248 11.2% 28.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kingston

$222 10% 35.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kingston

$112 5.1% 12.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kingston

$49 2.2% 43.3% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kingston

$77 3.5% 34.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,535 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 71% 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 $63.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $326 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Kingston

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

123,363

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Kingston 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 71% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,535 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,224 in Kingston – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kingston runs roughly 39% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,224 in Kingston versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston 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 Kingston 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 Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.