Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Picton

For one person, living is cheaper in Picton: $1,000 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Picton
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Picton Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Picton

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,000 in Picton.

Austin, TX $2,663
Picton $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,651 in Picton.

Austin, TX $4,133
Picton $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,302 in Picton.

Austin, TX $5,603
Picton $2,302

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 166% more expensive than in Picton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Picton is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.76 CA$25.11

16.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$67.4 CA$95.2

25.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.52 CA$13.46

29.41%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.58 CA$5.07

57.26%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.10 CA$2.97

77.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.67 CA$2.36

49.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.45 CA$7.70

47.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.74 CA$8.11

56.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.64 CA$2.32

-31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.97 CA$2.78

90.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.22 CA$3.14

46.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.82 CA$3.99

47.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.07 CA$12.82

42.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.24 CA$15.89

25.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.63 CA$20.69

10.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.67 CA$3.77

62.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.15 CA$1.62

26.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.44 CA$4.86

31.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.06 CA$5.74

6.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.85 CA$2.61

39.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.66 CA$2.35

41.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.17 CA$3.07

-17.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.25 CA$1.77

77.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.35 CA$18.88

-25.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.97 CA$19.75

7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.12 CA$3.00

37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.45 CA$3.46

41.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.11 CA$2.99

-29.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$19.44 CA$27.49

114.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.02 CA$4.27

-9.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.26 CA$1.78

31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$21.90 CA$30.96

61.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.10 CA$1.56

-13.64%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.2K CA$38.4K

32.66%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.9K CA$28.1K

36.11%

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

$229 $229

$118 CA$167

93.35%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$28.18 CA$39.83

110.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$47.12 CA$66.6

48.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.58 CA$58.8

37.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.49 CA$12.01

68.20%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$283 CA$400

431.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$23.3K CA$33.0K

-8.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$49.40 CA$69.8

6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$34.84 CA$49.26

25.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$83.2 CA$118

1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$120 CA$169

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,016 CA$1,436

87.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,589 CA$2,247

130.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,775 CA$5,337

101.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,036 CA$4,292

68.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.47

51.90%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Picton: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Picton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Picton

$314 31.4% 22.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Picton

$194 19.4% 45.9% $165

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Picton

$267 26.7% 24.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Picton

$129 12.9% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Picton

$59 5.9% 31.7% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Picton

$37 3.7% 36.6% $21

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 $1,016 in Picton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 69% 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 $67.0 in Picton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $314 per month, with Picton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Picton

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,702

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Picton 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Picton

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 Picton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Picton wins on cost – living expenses run 166% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Picton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 69% 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 $1,016 in Picton. 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 $1,000 in Picton – a 166% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Picton runs roughly 115% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,000 in Picton versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Picton but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Picton 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 Picton 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 Picton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 166% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.