Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Las Terrenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $873 in Las Terrenas.

Austin, TX $2,663
Las Terrenas $873

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,843 in Las Terrenas.

Austin, TX $4,133
Las Terrenas $1,843

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,813 in Las Terrenas.

Austin, TX $5,603
Las Terrenas $2,813

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 205% more expensive than in Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Las Terrenas is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.27 DOP 506

151.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$41.34 DOP 2,532

104.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.09 DOP 312

142.04%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.02 DOP 62.7

451.96%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.67 DOP 40.74

455.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.40 DOP 24.74

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.52 DOP 154

219.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.86 DOP 237

133.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.99 DOP 60.5

13.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.13 DOP 69.1

231.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.07 DOP 65.7

204.67%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.19 DOP 72.7

250.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.09 DOP 373

111.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.50 DOP 215

304.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$4.66 DOP 286

248.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.25 DOP 138

92.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.63 DOP 38.64

131.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.17 DOP 133

107.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.23 DOP 137

94.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.18 DOP 134

18.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.07 DOP 65.4

119.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.94 DOP 57.3

89.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.98 DOP 59.9

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.71 DOP 289

109.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.04 DOP 431

114.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.35 DOP 144

24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.96 DOP 120

76.53%

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

$2.51 DOP 154

8.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.27 DOP 200

-49.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.14 DOP 70.0

-16.67%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.7K DOP 1.2M

83.01%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.2K DOP 1.5M

11.72%

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

$229 $229

$50.4 DOP 3,084

354.80%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$9.94 DOP 609

497.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$19.91 DOP 1,220

251.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.00 DOP 306

185.60%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$100 DOP 6,143

1401.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,338 DOP 327.0K

301.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$27.30 DOP 1,672

93.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$44.76 DOP 2,742

-2.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$62.9 DOP 3,856

34.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$66.6 DOP 4,079

54.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$770 DOP 47.2K

147.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$386 DOP 23.7K

229.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,654 DOP 101.3K

121.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,641 DOP 100.5K

54.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,789 DOP 109.6K

325.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$408 DOP 25.0K

1156.32%

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 Las Terrenas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Las Terrenas

$386 44.3% 69.7% $888

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Las Terrenas

$169 19.3% 58.3% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Las Terrenas

$80 9.2% 77.6% $278

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Las Terrenas

$118 13.6% 66.6% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Las Terrenas

$91 10.4% 29.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Las Terrenas

$10 * 1.1% 88.4% $76

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2% 67.9% $40

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $770 in Las Terrenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1156% 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 $41.00 in Las Terrenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $169 per month, with Las Terrenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

7,713

💱 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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Between locations

Austin, TX Las Terrenas 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 205% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1156% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $770 in Las Terrenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $100 in Las Terrenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Las Terrenas – 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 $873 in Las Terrenas versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Las Terrenas but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Las Terrenas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Las Terrenas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $873 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Las Terrenas hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Las Terrenas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 205% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.