Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Puerto Vallarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Vallarta: $1,635 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
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Puerto Vallarta Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Puerto Vallarta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta.

Austin, TX $2,704
Puerto Vallarta $1,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,465 in Puerto Vallarta.

Austin, TX $4,133
Puerto Vallarta $2,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,295 in Puerto Vallarta.

Austin, TX $5,562
Puerto Vallarta $3,295

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 65% more expensive than in Puerto Vallarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Puerto Vallarta 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$13.94 MX$256

45.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$57.4 MX$1,054

48.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.90 MX$200

13.30%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.06 MX$74.5

34.73%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.95 MX$35.86

95.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.39 MX$25.45

79.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.09 MX$56.7

160.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.34 MX$79.7

107.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.91 MX$34.99

-40.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.49 MX$64.1

8.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.02 MX$37.07

60.89%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.25 MX$41.33

84.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.93 MX$182

31.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$11.00 MX$202

30.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$16.15 MX$296

-1.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.86 MX$52.5

53.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.54 MX$28.23

-5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.93 MX$35.50

135.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.12 MX$38.99

97.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.34 MX$43.02

12.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.19 MX$58.5

-26.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.39 MX$25.55

26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.15 MX$21.16

87.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.48 MX$82.3

118.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.88 MX$200

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.87 MX$34.42

48.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.71 MX$49.77

28.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.62 MX$11.42

140.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$21.37 MX$392

89.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.60 MX$84.4

-41.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.01 MX$55.3

-47.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$4.48 MX$82.3

687.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 MX$28.71

-36.54%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.4K MX$393.8K

66.93%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.7K MX$453.5K

10.01%

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

$219 $219

$85.6 MX$1,572

156.07%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$26.25 MX$482

120.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$32.63 MX$599

109.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$36.80 MX$676

57.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$15.19 MX$279

-2.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.75 MX$161

61.49%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$328 MX$6,021

360.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,190 MX$113.6K

246.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$55.0 MX$1,010

-6.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$34.89 MX$641

26.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$103 MX$1,897

-17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$97.8 MX$1,796

7.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,303 MX$23.9K

48.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$699 MX$12.8K

82.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,040 MX$37.5K

79.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,145 MX$21.0K

120.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,090 MX$93.4K

49.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,598 MX$47.7K

23.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$948 MX$17.4K

438.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.7

-41.97%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Puerto Vallarta

$699 43.2% 45.1% $574

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Puerto Vallarta

$316 19.5% 21.7% $87

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Puerto Vallarta

$230 14.2% 33.8% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Puerto Vallarta

$145 8.9% 58.2% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Puerto Vallarta

$131 8.1% 1.7% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Puerto Vallarta

$54 3.4% 37% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Puerto Vallarta

$44 2.7% 23.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 439% 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 $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $316 per month, with Puerto Vallarta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

224,166

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Puerto Vallarta 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Puerto Vallarta

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 Puerto Vallarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Vallarta wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Puerto Vallarta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 439% 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 $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta. 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 $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Puerto Vallarta runs roughly 90% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Vallarta but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Vallarta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Puerto Vallarta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,635 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Puerto Vallarta hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Puerto Vallarta 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 Puerto Vallarta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.