Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Puebla

For one person, living is cheaper in Puebla: $1,161 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Puebla
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Puebla Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Puebla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,161 in Puebla.

Austin, TX $2,704
Puebla $1,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,853 in Puebla.

Austin, TX $4,133
Puebla $1,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,545 in Puebla.

Austin, TX $5,562
Puebla $2,545

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 133% more expensive than in Puebla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Puebla is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$9.88 MX$180

104.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$48.13 MX$876

76.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$9.43 MX$171

30.97%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.35 MX$60.9

63.28%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.54 MX$28.05

148.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.19 MX$21.59

110.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.85 MX$51.9

182.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.85 MX$70.1

133.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.58 MX$28.77

-28.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.10 MX$56.3

21.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.85 MX$33.67

75.68%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.46 MX$62.9

19.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.70 MX$122

95.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.77 MX$105

148.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$11.22 MX$204

42.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.72 MX$49.42

61.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.73 MX$31.44

-16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.96 MX$35.68

131.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.05 MX$37.30

104.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.10 MX$38.22

25.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.02 MX$36.81

16.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.53 MX$27.89

15.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.31 MX$23.91

64.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.22 MX$95.0

87.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$14.06 MX$256

4.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.43 MX$26.02

94.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.57 MX$46.66

35.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.56 MX$10.25

166.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$24.50 MX$446

65.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$5.46 MX$99.2

-51.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.98 MX$36.04

-20.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$15.74 MX$286

124.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.51 MX$27.45

-34.44%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.5K MX$391.6K

66.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.1K MX$456.0K

8.41%

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

$219 $219

$62.1 MX$1,129

253.32%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$18.96 MX$345

205.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$23.89 MX$434

186.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$42.50 MX$773

36.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$13.53 MX$246

9.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.69 MX$103

148.33%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$416 MX$7,562

263.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$20.2K MX$367.3K

6.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$58.4 MX$1,062

-11.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$62.0 MX$1,128

-29.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$102 MX$1,846

-16.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$96.8 MX$1,761

8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$639 MX$11.6K

202.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$354 MX$6,439

259.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$882 MX$16.0K

316.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$664 MX$12.1K

280.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,660 MX$30.2K

358.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$905 MX$16.5K

253.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$663 MX$12.1K

669.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.96

-38.05%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Puebla: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Puebla

$354 31% 72.2% $918

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Puebla

$265 23.2% 34.1% $138

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Puebla

$180 15.8% 48.2% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Puebla

$105 9.2% 69.6% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Puebla

$143 12.5% 11.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Puebla

$54 4.7% 37.5% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Puebla

$42 3.7% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $639 in Puebla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 670% 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 $48.00 in Puebla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $265 per month, with Puebla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Puebla

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,542,232

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Puebla 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Puebla

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 Puebla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puebla wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Puebla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 670% 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 $639 in Puebla. 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 $1,161 in Puebla – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Puebla runs roughly 65% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,161 in Puebla versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puebla but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Puebla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Puebla delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,161 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Puebla hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Puebla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.