Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Parksville

For one person, living is cheaper in Parksville: $1,106 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Parksville
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Parksville Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Parksville

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,106 in Parksville.

Austin, TX $2,663
Parksville $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,823 in Parksville.

Austin, TX $4,133
Parksville $2,823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,540 in Parksville.

Austin, TX $5,603
Parksville $4,540

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 141% more expensive than in Parksville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Parksville is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.27 CA$24.56

20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$56.5 CA$80.4

49.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.43 CA$14.83

18.12%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.34 CA$4.75

68.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.03 CA$2.89

83.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.64 CA$2.33

52.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.13 CA$7.29

56.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.66 CA$8.05

59.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.28 CA$3.24

-50.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.09 CA$2.98

79.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.88 CA$4.09

13.19%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.28 CA$4.67

27.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.76 CA$13.87

32.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.15 CA$14.42

39.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$19.58 CA$27.83

-17.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.13 CA$4.45

38.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.31 CA$1.87

11.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.86 CA$4.07

57.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.02 CA$4.30

43.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.59 CA$3.69

-0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.01 CA$2.86

16.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.05 CA$2.92

-13.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.78 CA$2.54

24.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$14.13 CA$20.09

-30.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.14 CA$20.10

6.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.46 CA$3.50

18.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.05 CA$4.33

13.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.38 CA$3.39

-37.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.62 CA$3.72

4.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.58 CA$2.24

5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$15.09 CA$21.46

133.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.26 CA$1.79

-24.60%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.4K CA$37.5K

36.60%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.1K CA$25.8K

49.31%

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

$229 $229

$183 CA$261

24.89%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.28 CA$51.6

63.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$63.8 CA$90.8

9.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$57.6 CA$81.9

-0.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.57 CA$24.99

-7.06%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.46 CA$17.72

14.61%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$850 CA$1,208

77.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.9K CA$17.0K

79.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$47.85 CA$68.0

10.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$59.4 CA$84.5

-26.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$57.0 CA$81.0

48.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$87.2 CA$124

18.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,302 CA$1,851

46.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,269 CA$3,226

61.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,139 CA$3,041

18.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,830 CA$2,602

72.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,833 CA$4,028

80.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.87

39.43%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Parksville: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Parksville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Parksville

$345 31.2% 14.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Parksville

$283 25.6% 20.9% $75

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Parksville

$261 23.6% 26.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Parksville

$113 10.2% 11.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Parksville

$83 7.5% 3.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Parksville

$20 * 1.8% 65.9% $39

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 $1,302 in Parksville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 81% 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 $57.0 in Parksville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $345 per month, with Parksville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Parksville

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

20:18 8:18 PM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

13,642

💱 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 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 Parksville 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Parksville

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 Parksville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Parksville wins on cost – living expenses run 141% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Parksville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 81% 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 $1,302 in Parksville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $850 in Parksville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Parksville – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,106 in Parksville versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Parksville but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Parksville 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 Parksville 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 Parksville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.