Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Los Ángeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
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Los Ángeles Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Los Ángeles

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $925 in Los Ángeles.

Austin, TX $2,663
Los Ángeles $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,378 in Los Ángeles.

Austin, TX $4,133
Los Ángeles $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,831 in Los Ángeles.

Austin, TX $5,603
Los Ángeles $1,831

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 188% more expensive than in Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Los Ángeles is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.46 CLP 12.2K

66.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$25.23 CLP 24.7K

235.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.17 CLP 9,968

21.14%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.03 CLP 1,986

177.34%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.50 CLP 1,467

148.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.57 CLP 1,534

59.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.47 CLP 2,425

225.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.04 CLP 2,983

196.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.21 CLP 1,183

-7.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.80 CLP 2,742

33.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.98 CLP 2,924

9.40%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.33 CLP 4,248

-3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.05 CLP 7,889

60.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

32.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.17 CLP 13.9K

14.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.63 CLP 2,574

64.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.61 CLP 1,574

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.71 CLP 2,660

66.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.28 CLP 2,236

90.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.51 CLP 1,475

70.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.59 CLP 1,563

47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.44 CLP 1,409

23.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.10 CLP 1,077

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.67 CLP 5,558

74.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.27 CLP 4,182

253.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.99 CLP 973

194.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.50 CLP 485

198.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.06 CLP 2,022

32.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.26 CLP 1,239

-24.60%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

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

$27.1K $27.1K

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

$229 $229

$123 CLP 120.2K

86.63%

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

$59.4 $59.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.82 CLP 20.4K

235.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$80.7 CLP 79.1K

-29.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

59.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.42 CLP 4,333

223.08%

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

$1,506 $1,506

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$274 CLP 268.3K

596.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$228 CLP 223.1K

459.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$442 CLP 433.2K

729.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$337 CLP 329.9K

653.91%

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

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6% 82.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7% 32.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5% 59.9% $215

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Los Ángeles

$185 20% 47.7% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Los Ángeles

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7% 4.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4% 93.1% $55

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 $274 in Los Ángeles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $25.00 in Los Ángeles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $275 per month, with Los Ángeles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

143,023

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.2 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 980 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,099 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.1 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Los Ángeles 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Los Ángeles

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 Los Ángeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Ángeles wins on cost – living expenses run 188% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Los Ángeles the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,387 in Los Ángeles 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $274 in Los Ángeles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $925 in Los Ángeles – a 188% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $925 in Los Ángeles versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Los Ángeles but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Los Ángeles 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 Los Ángeles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 188% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.