Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lazaro Cardenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas: $1,141 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Lazaro Cardenas
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Lazaro Cardenas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Lazaro Cardenas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Lazaro Cardenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Austin, TX $2,698
Lazaro Cardenas $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,839 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Austin, TX $4,160
Lazaro Cardenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,537 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Austin, TX $5,622
Lazaro Cardenas $2,537

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 136% more expensive than in Lazaro Cardenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Lazaro Cardenas is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$10.83 MX$203

90.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$43.66 MX$817

93.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$8.70 MX$163

38.74%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.61 MX$67.6

51.80%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.42 MX$26.59

167.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.03 MX$19.24

139.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.51 MX$46.92

220.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.99 MX$74.7

122.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.66 MX$31.06

-33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.53 MX$47.41

47.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.67 MX$31.19

101.80%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.43 MX$45.51

77.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$8.19 MX$153

60.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$8.49 MX$159

66.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.33 MX$212

44.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.67 MX$49.98

70.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.59 MX$29.74

-8.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.90 MX$35.65

147.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.83 MX$34.27

126.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.93 MX$36.05

33.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.80 MX$33.61

30.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.48 MX$27.75

19.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.08 MX$20.23

98.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.32 MX$80.8

133.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.32 MX$193

47.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.76 MX$32.88

60.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.20 MX$59.8

7.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.69 MX$12.92

123.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.53 MX$47.26

10.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.92 MX$35.92

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$11.01 MX$206

211.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.48 MX$27.62

-36.49%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$21.1K MX$395.7K

60.73%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.8K MX$445.7K

12.40%

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

$223 $223

$58.7 MX$1,099

279.17%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$22.31 MX$417

164.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$29.94 MX$560

135.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$34.30 MX$642

68.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$20.49 MX$384

-19.33%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.11 MX$95.7

179.06%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$221 MX$4,141

582.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$4,553 MX$85.2K

358.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$55.3 MX$1,035

-7.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$39.96 MX$748

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$99.7 MX$1,867

-12.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$90.1 MX$1,687

15.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$602 MX$11.3K

222.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$393 MX$7,352

235.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,055 MX$19.8K

247.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$780 MX$14.6K

228.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,921 MX$36.0K

282.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,169 MX$21.9K

167.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$552 MX$10.3K

857.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Lazaro Cardenas

$393 34.4% 70.2% $924

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Lazaro Cardenas

$263 23.1% 35.2% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Lazaro Cardenas

$111 9.7% 68.5% $241

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Lazaro Cardenas

$186 16.3% 46.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Lazaro Cardenas

$128 11.3% 0.6% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lazaro Cardenas

$45 3.9% 48.4% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Lazaro Cardenas

$15 * 1.3% 74.3% $43

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 9.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $44 in Lazaro Cardenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $263 per month, with Lazaro Cardenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

83,637

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Lazaro Cardenas 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lazaro Cardenas

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 Lazaro Cardenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lazaro Cardenas wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lazaro Cardenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 9.6 times higher, 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $221 in Lazaro Cardenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas – a meal for two runs $44 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lazaro Cardenas 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 – Lazaro Cardenas wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.