Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $814 in Merida.

Austin, TX $2,663
Merida $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,418 in Merida.

Austin, TX $4,133
Merida $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,021 in Merida.

Austin, TX $5,603
Merida $2,021

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 227% more expensive than in Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Merida is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$11.90 VES 10.4K

74.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$60.9 VES 53.4K

39.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.82 VES 9,500

13.86%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.54 VES 2,226

121.65%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.13 VES 1,867

74.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.36 VES 1,195

83.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.97 VES 1,727

308.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.01 VES 2,644

199.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.04 VES 1,788

-45.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.32 VES 2,913

12.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.00 VES 1,759

63.00%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.51 VES 2,201

66.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.79 VES 5,965

89.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.87 VES 6,912

79.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.31 VES 6,421

121.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.11 VES 4,488

-15.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.44 VES 1,267

1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.76 VES 2,426

63.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.36 VES 2,070

83.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.98 VES 1,735

30.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.36 VES 1,194

72.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.49 VES 1,307

19.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.53 VES 2,217

-12.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.71 VES 3,258

166.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.18 VES 9,812

34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.40 VES 1,233

108.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.21 VES 1,944

56.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 VES 253

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.95 VES 3,469

-30.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.48 VES 1,300

12.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.86 VES 5,144

502.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.72 VES 629

31.94%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$45.7K VES 40.1M

-21.16%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$50.5K VES 44.3M

-46.38%

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

$229 $229

$12.37 VES 10.9K

1751.17%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.13 VES 8,894

486.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$29.49 VES 25.9K

137.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$29.41 VES 25.8K

94.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.79 VES 13.0K

10.41%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.93 VES 4,325

189.66%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$88.5 VES 77.7K

1601.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,399 VES 2.1M

794.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$72.6 VES 63.7K

-27.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$42.37 VES 37.2K

3.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$97.4 VES 85.5K

-12.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$98.3 VES 86.3K

4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$132 VES 116.2K

1341.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$93.6 VES 82.1K

1261.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$224 VES 196.9K

1533.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$193 VES 169.8K

1212.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,184 VES 1.0M

543.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,211 VES 1.1M

160.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$290 VES 254.9K

1663.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-72.84%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Merida

$94 11.5% 92.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Merida

$289 35.5% 28.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Merida

$52 6.4% 85.5% $306

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Merida

$188 23.1% 46.9% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Merida

$140 17.2% 9.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Merida

$39 4.8% 54.2% $47

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Merida

$13 * 1.5% 78.7% $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 $132 in Merida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1664% 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 $61.0 in Merida for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $289 per month, with Merida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

250,303

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

VES to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Merida 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merida wins on cost – living expenses run 227% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Merida the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1664% 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 $132 in Merida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $88.5 in Merida. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Merida – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Merida versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Merida but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Merida 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 Merida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.