Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lake Forest, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,689 a month against $3,057 in Lake Forest, CA, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
146

Cost of Living Index in Lake Forest, CA
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Lake Forest, CA Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Lake Forest, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Lake Forest, CA

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 Lake Forest, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $3,057 in Lake Forest, CA.

Austin, TX $2,689
Lake Forest, CA $3,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $4,627 in Lake Forest, CA.

Austin, TX $4,112
Lake Forest, CA $4,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $6,196 in Lake Forest, CA.

Austin, TX $5,534
Lake Forest, CA $6,196

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 12% less than in Lake Forest, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Lake Forest, CA 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$24.56 $24.56

-13.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$99.7 $99.7

-11.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$11.72 $11.72

6.14%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$5.84 $5.84

-4.11%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$3.06 $3.06

19.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.44 $2.44

-2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$8.68 $8.68

-9.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$9.62 $9.62

-9.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.15 $1.15

-2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$5.00 $5.00

-27.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$4.93 $4.93

-29.01%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$5.44 $5.44

-18.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$12.64 $12.64

4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$15.80 $15.80

-11.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$14.18 $14.18

16.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$5.19 $5.19

-8.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.79 $1.79

-16.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$4.18 $4.18

11.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$6.33 $6.33

-28.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.36 $3.36

-24.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.78 $2.78

-14.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.94 $1.94

-5.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.30 $2.30

-7.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$11.63 $11.63

-13.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$14.97 $14.97

-0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.71 $1.71

64.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.67 $2.67

23.22%

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

$3.57 $3.57

-24.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.91 $1.91

-14.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$35.48 $35.48

-0.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.60 $1.60

-38.75%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$27.9K $27.9K

23.33%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.7K $26.7K

0.33%

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

$252 $252

$271 $271

-6.92%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$72.6 $72.6

-17.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$80.2 $80.2

-13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$99.2 $99.2

-39.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$15.18 $15.18

-9.42%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$1,716 $1,716

-15.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$35.9K $35.9K

-25.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$72.5 $72.5

-27.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$39.98 $39.98

14.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$80.9 $80.9

5.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$163 $163

-35.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$2,127 $2,127

3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$1,502 $1,502

-15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$3,202 $3,202

24.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$2,761 $2,761

-12.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$8,048 $8,048

-8.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$6,904 $6,904

-57.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$6,348 $6,348

-20.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.56

3.96%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lake Forest, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Lake Forest, CA

$1.5K 49.1% 18.4% $233

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Lake Forest, CA

$442 14.5% 8.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Lake Forest, CA

$424 13.9% 11% $42

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Lake Forest, CA

$386 12.6% 8.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Lake Forest, CA

$160 5.2% 23% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Lake Forest, CA

$130 4.2% 47.4% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Lake Forest, CA

$13 * 0.4% 77.1% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $2,127 in Lake Forest, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lake Forest, CA pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $100 in Lake Forest, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $442 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Lake Forest, CA

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

19,367

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Lake Forest, CA 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lake Forest, CA

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 Lake Forest, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Lake Forest, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Austin, TX. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $2,127 in Lake Forest, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $1,716 in Lake Forest, CA. 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 $88 versus $100 in Lake Forest, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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 – Austin, TX wins on affordability, Lake Forest, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.