Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Markham: $2,416 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Austin, TX despite lower rent and utilities.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,416 in Markham.

Austin, TX $2,663
Markham $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,465 in Markham.

Austin, TX $4,133
Markham $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,514 in Markham.

Austin, TX $5,603
Markham $4,514

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 10% more expensive than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Markham 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.37 CA$24.70

19.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$53.4 CA$76.0

58.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.47 CA$14.89

17.67%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.81 CA$5.42

47.77%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.70 CA$2.42

118.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.17 CA$1.67

113.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.59 CA$5.10

124.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.62 CA$7.99

60.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.94 CA$2.76

-42.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.22 CA$3.16

68.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.90 CA$2.70

71.58%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.99 CA$4.25

39.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.70 CA$16.64

21.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.81 CA$9.68

138.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.69 CA$5.25

17.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.26 CA$1.80

15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.33 CA$3.31

93.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.26 CA$4.63

33.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.05 CA$2.92

25.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.96 CA$2.79

19.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.87 CA$4.08

-37.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.48 CA$2.11

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.44 CA$19.11

-26.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.53 CA$20.66

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.40 CA$3.41

21.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.19 CA$4.54

8.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.04 CA$4.32

-50.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$89.3 CA$127

-53.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.31 CA$4.71

-17.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$18.60 CA$26.44

89.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.13 CA$1.61

-15.93%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

28.22%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.1K CA$25.8K

49.37%

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

$229 $229

$125 CA$178

82.61%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$26.20 CA$37.26

126.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$45.69 CA$65.0

53.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.62 CA$60.6

34.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$21.28 CA$30.26

-23.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.19 CA$14.49

40.14%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$870 CA$1,237

73.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$27.5K CA$39.0K

-21.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$43.21 CA$61.4

22.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.22 CA$52.9

17.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$91.1 CA$130

-6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$105 CA$149

-1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,554 CA$2,210

22.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,391 CA$1,978

-8.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,699 CA$3,838

35.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,236 CA$3,179

13.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,896 CA$8,382

29.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,309 CA$7,549

-40.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,132 CA$4,453

63.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.56

48.90%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Markham

$1.4K 57.6% 9.2% $117

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Markham

$279 * 11.5% 31.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Markham

$197 8.2% 44.9% $161

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Markham

$257 10.6% 27.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Markham

$124 5.2% 2.8% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Markham

$63 2.6% 26.6% $23

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Markham

$105 * 4.3% 78.5% $46

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 $1,554 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 63% 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 $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $279 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

338,503

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Markham 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Markham wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Markham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 63% 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 $1,554 in Markham. 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 $2,416 in Markham – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Markham runs roughly 114% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,416 in Markham versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Markham but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Markham 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Markham 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 Markham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.