Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $879 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $879 in Portoviejo.

Austin, TX $2,689
Portoviejo $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,436 in Portoviejo.

Austin, TX $4,112
Portoviejo $1,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $1,992 in Portoviejo.

Austin, TX $5,534
Portoviejo $1,992

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 206% more expensive than in Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Portoviejo is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$4.06 $4.06

425.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$52.0 $52.0

68.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$9.17 $9.17

35.66%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$2.79 $2.79

100.72%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$0.86 $0.86

324.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.70 $0.70

241.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.06 $3.06

155.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$4.31 $4.31

103.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.20 $1.20

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.98 $1.98

82.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.42 $1.42

146.48%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$2.04 $2.04

118.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$7.06 $7.06

86.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$5.14 $5.14

171.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$8.93 $8.93

84.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.47 $1.47

221.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.15 $1.15

30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$0.99 $0.99

368.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$0.97 $0.97

365.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.22 $1.22

109.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.97 $0.97

146.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.88 $0.88

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.96 $0.96

121.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$6.09 $6.09

65.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$12.22 $12.22

21.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.51 $1.51

86.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.19 $2.19

50.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.36 $0.36

241.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.77 $2.77

-3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.73 $1.73

-5.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$12.22 $12.22

188.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.88 $0.88

11.36%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$22.7K $22.7K

51.78%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$31.0K $31.0K

-13.40%

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

$252 $252

$34.52 $34.52

630.68%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$15.13 $15.13

295.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$26.35 $26.35

164.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$29.67 $29.67

103.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$16.47 $16.47

10.14%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$7.44 $7.44

84.81%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$369 $369

294.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$5,664 $5,664

369.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$64.5 $64.5

-18.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$41.20 $41.20

11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$125 $125

-31.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$92.1 $92.1

14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$423 $423

418.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$277 $277

358.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$811 $811

393.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$502 $502

379.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$982 $982

651.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$787 $787

276.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$327 $327

1440.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.05

-32.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Portoviejo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Portoviejo

$277 31.5% 78.2% $992

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Portoviejo

$199 22.7% 51% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Portoviejo

$76 8.7% 80.1% $306

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Portoviejo

$124 14.1% 65.3% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Portoviejo

$145 16.5% 11.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Portoviejo

$45 5.1% 49.3% $43

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5% 77.5% $44

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 $2,195 in Austin, TX and $423 in Portoviejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $52 in Portoviejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $199 per month, with Portoviejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

180,641

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Portoviejo 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Portoviejo

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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 15 times higher, 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: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $423 in Portoviejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $369 in Portoviejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Portoviejo – a meal for two runs $52 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Portoviejo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Portoviejo wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.