Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Quilmes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $965 in Quilmes.

Austin, TX $2,663
Quilmes $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,611 in Quilmes.

Austin, TX $4,133
Quilmes $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,257 in Quilmes.

Austin, TX $5,603
Quilmes $2,257

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 176% more expensive than in Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Quilmes is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.63 ARS 8,548

268.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$34.37 ARS 52.2K

146.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.93 ARS 13.5K

37.96%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.95 ARS 4,476

90.85%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.69 ARS 2,565

120.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.72 ARS 2,608

45.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.10 ARS 6,222

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.19 ARS 3,329

311.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.98 ARS 1,488

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.56 ARS 2,373

140.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.63 ARS 2,478

100.00%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.25 ARS 3,408

85.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

-2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.86 ARS 8,899

141.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.18 ARS 15.4K

59.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.93 ARS 2,928

124.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.58 ARS 2,398

-7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.01 ARS 1,531

346.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.08 ARS 4,673

40.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.99 ARS 1,499

160.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.65 ARS 986

261.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.73 ARS 1,105

143.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.69 ARS 1,041

221.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.15 ARS 7,815

91.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.16 ARS 6,319

262.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.24 ARS 1,877

135.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.87 ARS 2,833

85.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.98 ARS 1,494

52.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.77 ARS 4,196

-1.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.97 ARS 1,473

71.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.09 ARS 1,654

-12.84%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$50.1K ARS 76.1M

-28.08%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$39.2K ARS 59.4M

-30.86%

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

$229 $229

$59.9 ARS 90.9K

282.16%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$14.26 ARS 21.6K

316.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$22.15 ARS 33.6K

215.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$27.18 ARS 41.2K

110.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.98 ARS 15.1K

43.09%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$315 ARS 477.4K

378.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$97.6 ARS 148.1K

-45.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$34.71 ARS 52.7K

26.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$63.0 ARS 95.7K

34.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$69.9 ARS 106.0K

47.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$519 ARS 787.3K

267.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$332 ARS 504.4K

283.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$999 ARS 1.5M

266.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$812 ARS 1.2M

212.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,324 ARS 3.5M

227.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,818 ARS 2.8M

73.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,114 ARS 1.7M

359.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

100

-93.21%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Quilmes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Quilmes

$332 34.4% 73.9% $942

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Quilmes

$213 22.1% 47.4% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Quilmes

$96 10% 73.1% $262

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Quilmes

$146 15.1% 58.8% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Quilmes

$119 12.4% 6.8% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 45.1% $39

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Quilmes

$12 * 1.2% 80.3% $47

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 $519 in Quilmes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 360% 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 $34.00 in Quilmes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $213 per month, with Quilmes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

230,810

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Quilmes 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Quilmes

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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quilmes wins on cost – living expenses run 176% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quilmes the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 360% 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 $519 in Quilmes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $315 in Quilmes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Quilmes – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Quilmes versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quilmes but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Quilmes 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 Quilmes 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 Quilmes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 176% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.