Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Palmas

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
Learn more

Palmas Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $834 in Palmas.

Austin, TX $2,698
Palmas $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,292 in Palmas.

Austin, TX $4,160
Palmas $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,751 in Palmas.

Austin, TX $5,622
Palmas $1,751

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 224% more expensive than in Palmas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Palmas is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$3.96 R$20.06

420.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$20.09 R$102

320.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$8.07 R$40.93

49.57%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$1.43 R$7.27

283.22%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.82 R$9.21

108.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.12 R$5.69

120.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.42 R$7.22

466.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.10 R$15.70

186.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.08 R$5.47

2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.47 R$7.45

153.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.24 R$6.28

171.77%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.67 R$13.52

61.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.12 R$36.11

84.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.12 R$15.80

353.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$6.31 R$31.98

158.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.17 R$10.98

109.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.75 R$8.85

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.23 R$6.25

282.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.22 R$6.21

240.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.27 R$6.42

103.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.07 R$5.43

119.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.77 R$3.91

129.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.77 R$3.91

177.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.46 R$12.48

310.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.16 R$36.30

112.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.32 R$6.71

113.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.10 R$10.66

63.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.73 R$3.72

110.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$43.43 R$220

-5.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.32 R$6.71

112.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.84 R$4.28

90.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$7.84 R$39.74

338.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.20 R$6.08

-21.67%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$23.9K R$121.4K

41.92%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.0K R$167.3K

-18.91%

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

$223 $223

$115 R$581

94.13%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$11.64 R$59.0

406.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$19.99 R$101

253.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$23.48 R$119

145.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$27.34 R$139

-39.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.58 R$33.36

116.72%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$155 R$785

876.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$7,304 R$37.0K

185.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$36.91 R$187

38.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$50.5 R$256

-12.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$115 R$583

-24.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$72.5 R$368

43.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$299 R$1,514

549.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$204 R$1,035

544.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$624 R$3,162

487.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$427 R$2,165

500.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,718 R$8,707

328.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,207 R$6,116

159.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-38.27%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Palmas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Palmas

$204 24.5% 84.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Palmas

$173 20.7% 57.4% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Palmas

$146 17.6% 58.4% $206

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Palmas

$98 11.8% 72% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Palmas

$124 14.8% 4.2% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Palmas

$37 4.4% 57.5% $50

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Palmas

$52 6.2% 10.4% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $299 in Palmas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $20.00 in Palmas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $173 per month, with Palmas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇷 Palmas

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

302,692

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Palmas 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Palmas

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 Palmas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palmas wins on cost – living expenses run 224% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Palmas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,250 in Palmas 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $299 in Palmas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $834 in Palmas – a 224% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Palmas runs roughly 6% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $834 in Palmas versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmas but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Palmas 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 Palmas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 224% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.