Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Pelotas

For one person, living is cheaper in Pelotas: $759 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Pelotas
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Pelotas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $759 in Pelotas.

Austin, TX $2,663
Pelotas $759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,178 in Pelotas.

Austin, TX $4,133
Pelotas $1,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,598 in Pelotas.

Austin, TX $5,603
Pelotas $1,598

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 251% more expensive than in Pelotas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Pelotas is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.16 R$31.21

237.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$17.70 R$89.7

377.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.66 R$33.78

84.98%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.49 R$12.64

126.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.35 R$6.86

175.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.72 R$3.65

247.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.46 R$7.41

451.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.55 R$7.87

481.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.88 R$4.47

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.19 R$6.03

215.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.91 R$4.61

258.24%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.31 R$11.69

80.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.16 R$51.5

26.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.72 R$23.91

200.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.74 R$49.37

66.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.47 R$12.54

75.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.19 R$6.01

22.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.40 R$7.11

222.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.22 R$6.19

255.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.21 R$6.15

113.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.98 R$4.98

139.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.87 R$4.41

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.51 R$2.59

335.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.38 R$12.08

315.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.50 R$38.01

101.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.68 R$3.44

329.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.01 R$5.14

242.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.23 R$6.25

21.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$52.5 R$266

-20.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.31 R$6.66

108.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.80 R$4.03

107.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.27 R$41.92

326.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.28 R$6.50

-25.78%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$23.5K R$119.3K

53.20%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.8K R$171.4K

-19.92%

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

$229 $229

$77.7 R$394

194.56%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.73 R$39.19

668.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.15 R$102

246.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$19.80 R$100

189.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$20.13 R$102

-18.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.95 R$25.08

188.48%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$573 R$2,902

163.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$24.2K R$122.5K

-11.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$35.20 R$178

50.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$30.28 R$154

44.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$60.6 R$307

39.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$81.0 R$410

27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$237 R$1,202

704.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$166 R$843

666.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$390 R$1,978

839.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$316 R$1,603

702.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,579 R$8,004

382.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$802 R$4,065

293.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$460 R$2,331

1013.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.5

-40.96%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pelotas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Pelotas

$166 21.9% 87% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Pelotas

$184 24.2% 54.6% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Pelotas

$106 13.9% 70.5% $253

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Pelotas

$118 15.5% 66.7% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Pelotas

$93 12.3% 27.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Pelotas

$30 3.9% 65.4% $56

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Pelotas

$63 8.3% 6.8% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $237 in Pelotas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1014% 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 $18.00 in Pelotas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $184 per month, with Pelotas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇷 Pelotas

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

325,685

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Pelotas 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Pelotas

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 Pelotas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pelotas wins on cost – living expenses run 251% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pelotas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1014% 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 $237 in Pelotas. 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 $759 in Pelotas – a 251% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pelotas runs roughly 26% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $759 in Pelotas versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pelotas but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Pelotas 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 Pelotas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 251% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.