Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Manila: $931 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Manila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $931 in Manila.

Austin, TX $2,704
Manila $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,519 in Manila.

Austin, TX $4,133
Manila $1,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,106 in Manila.

Austin, TX $5,562
Manila $2,106

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 190% more expensive than in Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Manila is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$5.61 ₱353

260.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$27.39 ₱1,722

210.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$3.95 ₱248

212.66%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.56 ₱161

113.67%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.42 ₱89.3

169.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.81 ₱51.1

208.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.17 ₱73.4

588.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.36 ₱148

280.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.94 ₱122

-41.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.40 ₱88.2

170.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.02 ₱64.3

218.63%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.29 ₱144

80.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.86 ₱494

66.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.89 ₱307

192.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$6.77 ₱426

135.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.38 ₱213

29.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.85 ₱117

-21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.96 ₱186

53.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.79 ₱113

134.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.24 ₱141

17.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.69 ₱169

-12.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.20 ₱138

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.59 ₱37.35

266.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.13 ₱197

213.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$9.42 ₱593

56.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.33 ₱83.5

109.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.00 ₱126

74.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.47 ₱29.54

217.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$12.58 ₱791

222.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.78 ₱48.91

242.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.23 ₱14.47

586.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$1.94 ₱122

1719.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.33 ₱83.7

-25.56%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

67.79%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$19.7K ₱1.2M

38.05%

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

$219 $219

$121 ₱7,635

80.62%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$16.04 ₱1,009

261.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$24.25 ₱1,525

181.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$43.44 ₱2,732

33.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$5.90 ₱371

151.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.63 ₱417

113.12%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$613 ₱38.5K

146.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,953 ₱563.1K

139.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$58.2 ₱3,657

-11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$27.18 ₱1,709

62.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$77.5 ₱4,875

9.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$57.0 ₱3,583

84.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$534 ₱33.6K

262.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$287 ₱18.0K

343.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,916 ₱120.5K

91.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$677 ₱42.6K

272.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,439 ₱279.1K

71.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,556 ₱160.8K

25.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$485 ₱30.5K

951.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.43

-8.61%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Manila

$287 30.2% 77.4% $985

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Manila

$221 23.3% 45.1% $182

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Manila

$107 11.3% 69.3% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Manila

$162 17% 53.2% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Manila

$99 10.4% 23.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Manila

$57 6% 34.2% $29

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Manila

$16 1.7% 71.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $534 in Manila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 952% 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 $27.00 in Manila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $221 per month, with Manila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

16:22 4:22 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,780,148 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Manila 13,530 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Manila

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 Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manila wins on cost – living expenses run 190% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Manila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 952% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $534 in Manila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $931 in Manila – a 190% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Manila runs roughly 222% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $931 in Manila versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manila but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Manila the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Manila delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $931 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Manila hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Manila are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Manila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 190% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.