Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Port Alberni

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Alberni: $1,670 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Port Alberni
Learn more

Port Alberni Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Port Alberni

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Port Alberni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,670 in Port Alberni.

Austin, TX $2,663
Port Alberni $1,670

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,790 in Port Alberni.

Austin, TX $4,133
Port Alberni $2,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,911 in Port Alberni.

Austin, TX $5,603
Port Alberni $3,911

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 60% more expensive than in Port Alberni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Port Alberni 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.48 CA$24.85

18.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$61.2 CA$87.0

38.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.46 CA$14.87

17.78%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.89 CA$5.54

44.73%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.04 CA$2.90

82.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.38 CA$1.97

81.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.44 CA$4.89

134.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.40 CA$7.68

66.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.14 CA$3.04

-47.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.28 CA$3.24

64.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.73 CA$3.88

19.41%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.93 CA$5.59

6.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.94 CA$12.70

44.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.09 CA$5.81

246.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$19.41 CA$27.58

-16.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.73 CA$3.87

58.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.06 CA$1.51

37.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.40 CA$4.83

32.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.59 CA$5.10

20.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.07 CA$2.94

24.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.85 CA$2.63

27.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.16 CA$3.07

-17.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.68 CA$0.97

226.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.54 CA$14.98

-6.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.33 CA$14.69

45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.51 CA$3.56

16.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.86 CA$4.07

20.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.42 CA$2.02

4.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$33.09 CA$47.03

26.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.68 CA$3.81

1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.56 CA$2.21

6.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$31.01 CA$44.07

13.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.20 CA$1.70

-20.83%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.5K CA$39.1K

30.87%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.5K CA$27.7K

38.71%

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

$229 $229

$81.8 CA$116

179.80%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.45 CA$51.8

62.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$51.0 CA$72.5

37.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.83 CA$60.9

33.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.16 CA$17.28

17.43%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,087 CA$1,545

38.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$19.9K CA$28.3K

7.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$58.2 CA$82.7

-9.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$32.34 CA$45.96

35.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$95.4 CA$136

-11.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$93.7 CA$133

9.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$790 CA$1,122

141.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$705 CA$1,002

80.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,660 CA$2,359

120.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,673 CA$2,378

51.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,045 CA$4,328

68.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.28

58.64%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Alberni: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Port Alberni

$705 42.2% 44.7% $569

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Port Alberni

$293 17.6% 27.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Port Alberni

$169 10.1% 52.7% $189

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Port Alberni

$260 15.6% 26.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Port Alberni

$126 7.5% 1.7% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Port Alberni

$67 4% 21.7% $19

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Port Alberni

$49 3% 16.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $790 in Port Alberni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 68% 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 $61.0 in Port Alberni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $293 per month, with Port Alberni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Port Alberni

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

19:24 7:24 PM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

17,743

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 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 = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Port Alberni 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Port Alberni

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 Port Alberni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Alberni wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Alberni the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $790 in Port Alberni. 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 $1,670 in Port Alberni – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Port Alberni 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 $1,670 in Port Alberni versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Port Alberni but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Port Alberni 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 Port Alberni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.