Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in La Merced

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $558 in La Merced.

Austin, TX $2,689
La Merced $558

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $910 in La Merced.

Austin, TX $4,112
La Merced $910

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $1,263 in La Merced.

Austin, TX $5,534
La Merced $1,263

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 382% more expensive than in La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, La Merced is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$4.38 PEN 15.06

387.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$34.86 PEN 120

152.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$7.01 PEN 24.13

77.46%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.18 PEN 10.94

76.10%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.08 PEN 3.71

237.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.65 PEN 2.24

267.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.57 PEN 8.84

204.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$4.29 PEN 14.78

103.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.07 PEN 7.13

74.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.28 PEN 4.42

173.44%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$2.35 PEN 8.09

89.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$7.33 PEN 25.23

79.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$5.78 PEN 19.89

141.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$8.68 PEN 29.87

89.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$0.92 PEN 3.16

414.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.45 PEN 1.56

233.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$0.30 PEN 1.03

1446.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$0.71 PEN 2.45

536.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.28 PEN 0.96

810.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.45 PEN 1.55

431.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.60 PEN 2.07

206.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.87 PEN 3.01

144.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.63 PEN 19.38

78.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$7.33 PEN 25.24

103.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.90 PEN 6.55

48.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.08 PEN 10.58

6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.43 PEN 11.82

-21.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-21.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$7.64 PEN 26.31

360.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-40.24%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$21.7K PEN 74.8K

58.07%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$28.9K PEN 99.6K

-7.34%

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

$252 $252

$66.7 PEN 229

278.44%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$15.80 PEN 54.4

278.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$27.06 PEN 93.1

157.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$7.14 PEN 24.57

92.58%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$318 PEN 1,093

359.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$12.7K PEN 43.5K

110.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$53.3 PEN 183

-1.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$35.12 PEN 121

30.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$83.7 PEN 288

2.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$79.1 PEN 272

33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.78

-22.32%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

La Merced

$185 33.1% 54.6% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

La Merced

$110 19.6% 71.3% $272

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

La Merced

$123 22% 65.6% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

La Merced

$113 20.3% 13.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

La Merced

$14 * 2.6% 83.7% $74

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 75.9% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $35 in La Merced for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $185 per month, with La Merced cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

8,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX La Merced 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Merced wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making La Merced the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,034 in Austin, TX and $837 in La Merced 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.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $318 in La Merced. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in La Merced – a meal for two runs $35 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $558 in La Merced versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $800 budget is realistic in La Merced but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes La Merced 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.