Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lafayette, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lafayette, LA: $2,365 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Lafayette, LA
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Lafayette, LA Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Lafayette, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Lafayette, LA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $2,365 in Lafayette, LA.

Austin, TX $2,607
Lafayette, LA $2,365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $3,578 in Lafayette, LA.

Austin, TX $4,031
Lafayette, LA $3,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $4,791 in Lafayette, LA.

Austin, TX $5,454
Lafayette, LA $4,791

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lafayette, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Lafayette, LA 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$25.39 $25.39

-19.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$100 $100

-15.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$10.15 $10.15

19.41%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$5.39 $5.39

4.82%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$2.87 $2.87

28.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.81 $1.81

30.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$5.55 $5.55

41.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$6.15 $6.15

43.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$4.10 $4.10

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.53 $3.53

-6.23%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$5.52 $5.52

-24.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$10.08 $10.08

28.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$10.27 $10.27

34.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$15.82 $15.82

3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$5.08 $5.08

-7.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.43 $1.43

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$5.37 $5.37

-4.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$5.51 $5.51

-17.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.68 $2.68

14.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.31 $3.31

-28.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.25 $2.25

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.37 $2.37

-6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$9.42 $9.42

5.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$16.53 $16.53

-8.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.84 $1.84

58.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.71 $3.71

-10.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.98 $0.98

24.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$59.7 $59.7

-32.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.54 $2.54

9.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.01 $1.01

63.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$35.70 $35.70

-0.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.98 $0.98

-3.06%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$28.8K $28.8K

18.72%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.4K $26.4K

1.41%

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

$223 $223

$225 $225

-0.67%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$53.3 $53.3

9.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$59.2 $59.2

20.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$56.8 $56.8

-6.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$21.23 $21.23

-21.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$11.83 $11.83

18.85%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$1,532 $1,532

-4.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$10.4K $10.4K

105.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$56.6 $56.6

-7.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$42.83 $42.83

-0.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$85.2 $85.2

1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$120 $120

-13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,255 $1,255

68.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$980 $980

25.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$1,758 $1,758

119.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,611 $1,611

49.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$1,801 $1,801

312.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,464 $1,464

109.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$3,504 $3,504

47.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.3

8.25%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lafayette, LA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Lafayette, LA

$980 41.4% 20.4% $251

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Lafayette, LA

$402 17% 1.8% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Lafayette, LA

$337 14.3% 4.4% $16

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Lafayette, LA

$357 15.1% 2.6% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Lafayette, LA

$137 5.8% 6.6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Lafayette, LA

$80 3.4% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Lafayette, LA

$71 3% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $1,255 in Lafayette, LA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $100 in Lafayette, LA. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $402, with Lafayette, LA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Lafayette, LA

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

Same time as Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

61,244

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Lafayette, LA 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lafayette, LA

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 Lafayette, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lafayette, LA wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lafayette, LA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,255 in Lafayette, LA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $1,532 in Lafayette, LA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85 versus $100 in Lafayette, LA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Lafayette, LA is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lafayette, LA wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.