Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Petrolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $769 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
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Petrolina Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $769 in Petrolina.

Austin, TX $2,704
Petrolina $769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,194 in Petrolina.

Austin, TX $4,133
Petrolina $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,618 in Petrolina.

Austin, TX $5,562
Petrolina $1,618

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Petrolina is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$5.64 R$28.13

258.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$30.86 R$154

175.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.01 R$34.97

76.18%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$1.93 R$9.65

183.42%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.22 R$6.10

213.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.72 R$3.61

247.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.01 R$10.05

301.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.88 R$14.38

212.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.07 R$5.33

5.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.94 R$4.72

302.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.14 R$5.69

185.09%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.60 R$7.98

158.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.68 R$43.31

50.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.63 R$18.12

294.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$7.79 R$38.90

104.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.31 R$11.56

89.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.93 R$4.66

55.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.13 R$5.67

301.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.50 R$7.47

179.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.15 R$5.77

128.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.76 R$3.78

210.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.79 R$3.95

122.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.49 R$2.45

340.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.38 R$11.88

312.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$6.60 R$32.97

123.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.18 R$5.91

135.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.94 R$9.68

79.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.98 R$4.89

52.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$41.82 R$209

-3.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.22 R$6.11

118.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.88 R$4.40

79.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.94 R$39.63

344.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.27 R$6.32

-22.05%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.8K R$99.1K

80.42%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.9K R$124.5K

9.00%

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

$219 $219

$65.3 R$326

235.69%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$8.87 R$44.26

553.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$11.59 R$57.9

489.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$17.69 R$88.3

227.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$26.54 R$132

-44.16%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$3.74 R$18.66

277.81%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$233 R$1,163

547.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,947 R$34.7K

208.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$18.84 R$94.0

174.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$47.80 R$239

-7.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$51.8 R$259

64.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$80.3 R$401

31.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$264 R$1,318

632.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$221 R$1,103

475.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$558 R$2,787

557.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$398 R$1,985

534.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,578 R$7,879

382.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,139 R$5,683

181.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$578 R$2,884

783.52%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Petrolina: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Petrolina

$221 29.4% 82.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Petrolina

$165 22% 59.1% $238

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Petrolina

$113 15.1% 67.6% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Petrolina

$86 11.4% 75.2% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Petrolina

$89 11.9% 30.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Petrolina

$25 3.4% 70.8% $61

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Petrolina

$51 6.8% 9.9% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $264 in Petrolina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 784% 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 $31.00 in Petrolina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $165 per month, with Petrolina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

07:17 7:17 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

386,791

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Petrolina 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Petrolina

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 Petrolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petrolina 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 Petrolina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 784% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $264 in Petrolina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $769 in Petrolina – a 251% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Petrolina runs roughly 3% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $769 in Petrolina versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Petrolina but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Petrolina 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 Petrolina 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.