Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $631 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in La Romana
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La Romana Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $631 in La Romana.

Austin, TX $2,663
La Romana $631

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,014 in La Romana.

Austin, TX $4,133
La Romana $1,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,398 in La Romana.

Austin, TX $5,603
La Romana $1,398

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 322% more expensive than in La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, La Romana is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.43 DOP 516

146.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$40.80 DOP 2,499

107.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.16 DOP 439

72.07%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.75 DOP 107

221.71%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.71 DOP 43.32

423.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.32 DOP 19.33

681.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.43 DOP 149

231.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.97 DOP 244

126.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.05 DOP 64.1

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.80 DOP 110

108.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.51 DOP 92.3

115.89%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.48 DOP 91.0

181.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.28 DOP 384

105.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.53 DOP 216

301.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$4.62 DOP 283

251.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.61 DOP 221

19.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.38 DOP 84.3

5.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.23 DOP 198

39.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.13 DOP 131

103.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.58 DOP 220

-27.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.87 DOP 176

-18.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.88 DOP 53.9

102.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.60 DOP 98.2

38.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.66 DOP 285

112.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$16.45 DOP 1,007

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.00 DOP 184

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.48 DOP 213

-0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.49 DOP 153

9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.23 DOP 198

-48.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.39 DOP 85.1

-31.65%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$15.1K DOP 922.4K

139.40%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

6.24%

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

$229 $229

$95.3 DOP 5,837

140.33%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$9.68 DOP 593

513.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$39.12 DOP 2,397

78.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.97 DOP 305

187.32%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$146 DOP 8,946

931.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,480 DOP 335.7K

291.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$26.84 DOP 1,644

96.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$45.24 DOP 2,772

-3.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$60.6 DOP 3,713

39.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$67.0 DOP 4,104

53.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-38.27%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for La Romana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

La Romana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

La Romana

$235 37.2% 42% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

La Romana

$144 22.8% 59.8% $214

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

La Romana

$134 21.2% 62.1% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

La Romana

$90 14.2% 29.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

La Romana

$9.9 * 1.6% 88.4% $76

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

La Romana

$19 * 3% 68.2% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $41.00 in La Romana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $235 per month, with La Romana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

11:04 11:04 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

567,431

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

DOP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX La Romana 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
La Romana

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 Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Romana wins on cost – living expenses run 322% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making La Romana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $947 in La Romana 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 $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $146 in La Romana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in La Romana – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $631 in La Romana versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in La Romana but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes La Romana 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 La Romana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 322% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.