Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA: $2,698 and $2,626 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
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Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

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 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,626 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Austin, TX $2,698
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,888 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Austin, TX $4,160
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $5,149 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Austin, TX $5,622
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA $5,149

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 3% more expensive than in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$19.78 $19.78

4.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$77.3 $77.3

9.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$14.88 $14.88

-18.88%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$5.90 $5.90

-7.12%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$3.16 $3.16

20.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.40 $2.40

2.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.06 $7.06

14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$9.37 $9.37

-5.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.33 $1.33

-16.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$4.37 $4.37

-14.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.80 $4.80

-29.79%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.71 $4.71

-8.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.92 $12.92

1.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$14.48 $14.48

-2.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$15.31 $15.31

6.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$5.07 $5.07

-10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.71 $1.71

-14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.10 $4.10

14.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$5.65 $5.65

-26.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.63 $3.63

-28.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.32 $2.32

1.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.04 $2.04

-13.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.84 $1.84

16.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$11.68 $11.68

-13.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$14.96 $14.96

1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.92 $1.92

46.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.21 $4.21

-18.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.91 $1.91

-19.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$6.34 $6.34

-55.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.98 $1.98

-19.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$29.26 $29.26

17.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.57 $1.57

-40.13%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$29.2K $29.2K

16.46%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.1K $26.1K

2.74%

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

$223 $223

$214 $214

3.82%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$67.5 $67.5

-12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$59.2 $59.2

19.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$43.81 $43.81

31.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$14.92 $14.92

-4.42%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,880 $1,880

-19.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

-22.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$58.0 $58.0

-11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$40.17 $40.17

9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$91.6 $91.6

-5.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$105 $105

-0.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,592 $1,592

21.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,279 $1,279

2.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,558 $2,558

43.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,183 $2,183

17.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,715 $2,715

170.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,045 $2,045

53.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$10.0K $10.0K

-47.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.31

7.61%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rancho Palos Verdes, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

$1.3K 48.7% 2.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

$426 16.2% 5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

$341 13% 3.1% $11

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

$350 13.3% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

$132 5% 2.7% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

$74 2.8% 14.6% $13

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

$24 * 0.9% 58.8% $34

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,592 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA pays 90% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $77.0 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $426, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

41,754

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

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 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rancho Palos Verdes, CA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,592 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $1,880 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 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 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.