Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Los Gatos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,689 a month against $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 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
232

Cost of Living Index in Los Gatos, CA
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Los Gatos, CA Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Los Gatos, 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 Los Gatos, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA.

Austin, TX $2,689
Los Gatos, CA $4,787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $7,200 in Los Gatos, CA.

Austin, TX $4,112
Los Gatos, CA $7,200

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $9,613 in Los Gatos, CA.

Austin, TX $5,534
Los Gatos, CA $9,613

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 44% less than in Los Gatos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Los Gatos, CA 254% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$25.47 $25.47

-16.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$98.0 $98.0

-10.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$15.24 $15.24

-18.37%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$6.51 $6.51

-13.98%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$2.92 $2.92

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.57 $2.57

-7.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$7.90 $7.90

-1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$8.05 $8.05

8.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.28 $1.28

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$4.20 $4.20

-13.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$4.77 $4.77

-26.62%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$6.62 $6.62

-32.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$24.66 $24.66

-46.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$11.61 $11.61

20.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$13.16 $13.16

25.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$5.35 $5.35

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$3.17 $3.17

-52.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$4.91 $4.91

-5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$5.93 $5.93

-23.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.29 $3.29

-22.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.97 $3.97

-39.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.05 $3.05

-39.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.63 $2.63

-19.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$11.98 $11.98

-16.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$13.10 $13.10

13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.13 $2.13

32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.47 $2.47

33.20%

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

$4.11 $4.11

-34.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.83 $1.83

-10.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$35.36 $35.36

-0.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.57 $1.57

-37.58%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$27.9K $27.9K

23.03%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

-0.06%

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

$252 $252

$371 $371

-31.93%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$58.7 $58.7

2.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$64.3 $64.3

8.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$145 $145

-58.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$16.95 $16.95

-18.88%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$2,150 $2,150

-32.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$20.3K $20.3K

31.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$51.3 $51.3

2.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$39.25 $39.25

16.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$75.2 $75.2

13.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$60.2 $60.2

75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$3,504 $3,504

-37.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$3,124 $3,124

-59.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$6,054 $6,054

-60.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$3,481 $3,481

112.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.69

1.94%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Los Gatos, 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%

Los Gatos, CA

$3.1K 65.3% 146% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Los Gatos, CA

$470 9.8% 15.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Los Gatos, CA

$493 10.3% 29.3% $112

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Los Gatos, CA

$405 8.5% 13.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1% 22% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Los Gatos, CA

$179 3.7% 104% $91

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Los Gatos, CA

$13 * 0.3% 76.8% $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 $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $98 in Los Gatos, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $470 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

07:36 7:36 AM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

30,222

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Los Gatos, CA 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Los Gatos, 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 Los Gatos, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Los Gatos, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,034 in Austin, TX and $7,181 in Los Gatos, CA 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: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $2,150 in Los Gatos, 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 $98 in Los Gatos, 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.