Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Quesada

For one person, living is cheaper in Quesada: $1,678 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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 Quesada
Learn more

Quesada Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,678 in Quesada.

Austin, TX $2,663
Quesada $1,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,663 in Quesada.

Austin, TX $4,133
Quesada $2,663

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,648 in Quesada.

Austin, TX $5,603
Quesada $3,648

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 59% more expensive than in Quesada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.24 ₡5,499

69.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$62.1 ₡27.9K

36.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.41 ₡5,128

7.98%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.48 ₡2,013

25.67%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.76 ₡1,242

34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.94 ₡873

28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.20 ₡1,440

151.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.39 ₡1,075

276.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.40 ₡1,079

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.83 ₡1,271

32.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.53 ₡1,136

28.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.57 ₡1,154

62.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.84 ₡4,870

19.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.25 ₡4,604

38.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.09 ₡6,330

15.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.04 ₡2,265

-14.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.64 ₡735

-10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.08 ₡483

317.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.93 ₡1,768

10.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.91 ₡1,757

-34.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.56 ₡1,600

-33.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ₡505

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.20 ₡1,437

-30.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.01 ₡2,700

64.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$15.29 ₡6,873

-1.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.83 ₡1,273

3.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.64 ₡1,636

-4.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.34 ₡602

11.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.56 ₡700

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.56 ₡699

6.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.94 ₡4,017

294.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 ₡681

-37.50%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.0K ₡9.9M

63.55%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-23.66%

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

$229 $229

$96.3 ₡43.2K

137.91%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$29.69 ₡13.3K

100.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$55.4 ₡24.9K

26.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.14 ₡7,253

1.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.53 ₡2,483

158.23%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$255 ₡114.8K

489.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,187 ₡1.9M

412.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.2 ₡32.0K

-25.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-20.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$126 ₡56.7K

-32.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$109 ₡49.0K

-5.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$807 ₡362.7K

136.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$639 ₡287.1K

99.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,882 ₡845.6K

94.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,263 ₡567.5K

100.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,173 ₡1.9M

82.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,149 ₡965.8K

46.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Quesada: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Quesada

$639 38.1% 49.8% $635

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Quesada

$371 22.1% 8.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Quesada

$181 10.8% 49.4% $177

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Quesada

$226 13.4% 36.3% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Quesada

$163 9.7% 27.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Quesada

$83 5% 3.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Quesada

$15 * 0.9% 75% $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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $807 in Quesada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $62.0 in Quesada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $371 per month, with Quesada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 Quesada

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

42,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Quesada 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Quesada

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 Quesada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quesada wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quesada the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,517 in Quesada to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $807 in Quesada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $255 in Quesada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Quesada – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,678 in Quesada versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Quesada but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Quesada 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 Quesada 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 Quesada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.