Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Los Cabos

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Cabos: $1,371 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,371 in Los Cabos.

Austin, TX $2,663
Los Cabos $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,211 in Los Cabos.

Austin, TX $4,133
Los Cabos $2,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,051 in Los Cabos.

Austin, TX $5,603
Los Cabos $3,051

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 94% more expensive than in Los Cabos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Los Cabos 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$22.30 MX$412

-6.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$43.70 MX$807

93.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$13.76 MX$254

-10.47%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.22 MX$96.5

7.85%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.30 MX$42.51

61.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.06 MX$38.06

21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.99 MX$92.2

61.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$8.36 MX$154

7.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.65 MX$30.46

-32.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.86 MX$52.8

31.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.38 MX$44.07

36.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.41 MX$44.49

73.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.96 MX$166

43.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.56 MX$177

48.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$17.76 MX$328

-8.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.13 MX$76.4

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.78 MX$32.89

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.93 MX$54.2

53.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.53 MX$46.70

71.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.34 MX$43.16

10.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.53 MX$46.73

-7.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.24 MX$22.99

43.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.86 MX$15.94

158.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.52 MX$83.6

118.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.32 MX$191

46.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.61 MX$29.70

81.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.13 MX$57.8

10.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.41 MX$25.98

5.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.66 MX$49.20

2.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.93 MX$35.59

-13.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$11.63 MX$215

203.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.38 MX$25.43

-31.16%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.0K MX$388.2K

71.61%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.3K MX$449.9K

11.20%

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

$229 $229

$58.6 MX$1,083

290.83%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$27.70 MX$512

114.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$24.59 MX$454

184.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$34.48 MX$637

66.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$20.05 MX$371

-18.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.28 MX$79.1

233.64%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$215 MX$3,971

600.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,652 MX$86.0K

361.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$93.3 MX$1,724

-43.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$40.63 MX$751

7.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$124 MX$2,298

-31.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$89.7 MX$1,657

14.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$612 MX$11.3K

211.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$391 MX$7,226

225.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,044 MX$19.3K

251.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$781 MX$14.4K

225.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,933 MX$35.7K

293.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,131 MX$20.9K

179.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$811 MX$15.0K

531.78%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Los Cabos: 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 Cabos

$391 28.5% 69.3% $883

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Los Cabos

$310 22.6% 23.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Los Cabos

$111 8.1% 69.1% $247

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Los Cabos

$341 24.9% 3.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Los Cabos

$157 11.4% 22.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Los Cabos

$43 3.1% 49.8% $43

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Los Cabos

$18 * 1.3% 69.5% $41

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 $612 in Los Cabos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 532% 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 $44.00 in Los Cabos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $310 per month, with Los Cabos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

09:45 9:45 AM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

202,694

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Los Cabos 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Los Cabos

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 Cabos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Cabos wins on cost – living expenses run 94% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Los Cabos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 532% 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 $612 in Los Cabos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $215 in Los Cabos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Los Cabos – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,371 in Los Cabos versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Los Cabos but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Los Cabos 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 Cabos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.