Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Quesnel

For one person, living is cheaper in Quesnel: $2,330 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Quesnel
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Quesnel Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Quesnel

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,330 in Quesnel.

Austin, TX $2,663
Quesnel $2,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,279 in Quesnel.

Austin, TX $4,133
Quesnel $3,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,227 in Quesnel.

Austin, TX $5,603
Quesnel $4,227

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 14% more expensive than in Quesnel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Quesnel 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$16.27 CA$23.00

27.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$44.91 CA$63.5

88.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.90 CA$15.41

13.03%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.02 CA$5.69

40.05%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.38 CA$3.36

56.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.99 CA$2.81

25.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.50 CA$6.37

78.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.74 CA$8.12

56.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.27 CA$3.21

-50.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.45 CA$3.46

53.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.95 CA$5.59

-17.47%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.66 CA$6.59

-10.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.82 CA$16.72

9.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$16.49 CA$23.31

-14.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$16.55 CA$23.40

-1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.05 CA$5.72

6.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.29 CA$1.82

13.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.36 CA$6.17

3.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.27 CA$6.03

1.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.04 CA$4.30

-15.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.64 CA$5.15

-35.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.46 CA$3.48

-27.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.72 CA$2.43

29.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.87 CA$16.78

-16.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.46 CA$14.79

44.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.55 CA$3.60

14.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.24 CA$4.58

6.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.22 CA$3.14

-32.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$55.6 CA$78.7

-25.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.49 CA$3.53

9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.15 CA$3.03

-22.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$41.45 CA$58.6

-14.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.24 CA$1.76

-23.39%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.6K CA$40.4K

26.07%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$22.1K CA$31.2K

22.49%

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

$229 $229

$172 CA$243

33.03%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$38.46 CA$54.4

54.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$69.1 CA$97.7

1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$40.54 CA$57.3

41.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$18.31 CA$25.89

-10.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.26 CA$10.26

96.69%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$736 CA$1,041

104.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.4K CA$17.5K

73.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$36.45 CA$51.5

44.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$45.75 CA$64.7

-4.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$76.6 CA$108

10.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$107 CA$151

-3.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$771 CA$1,089

147.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,133 CA$1,601

12.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,910 CA$2,701

91.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,664 CA$2,353

52.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,754 CA$5,306

102.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,780 CA$5,344

-16.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,424 CA$3,427

111.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.35

26.92%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Quesnel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Quesnel

$1.1K 48.6% 11.1% $141

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Quesnel

$403 17.3% 0.4% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Quesnel

$280 12% 21.9% $79

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Quesnel

$263 11.3% 25.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Quesnel

$120 5.1% 6.6% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Quesnel

$55 2.4% 35.8% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Quesnel

$78 3.3% 32.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $771 in Quesnel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 111% 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 $45.00 in Quesnel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $403 per month, with Quesnel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Quesnel

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

14:46 2:46 PM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

10,007

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Quesnel 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Quesnel

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 Quesnel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quesnel wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quesnel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 111% 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 $771 in Quesnel. 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 $2,330 in Quesnel – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Quesnel runs roughly 33% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,330 in Quesnel versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quesnel but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Quesnel 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 Quesnel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.