Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Rosarito

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosarito: $1,173 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Rosarito
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Rosarito Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Rosarito

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,173 in Rosarito.

Austin, TX $2,704
Rosarito $1,173

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,900 in Rosarito.

Austin, TX $4,133
Rosarito $1,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,628 in Rosarito.

Austin, TX $5,562
Rosarito $2,628

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 131% more expensive than in Rosarito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Rosarito is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$12.41 MX$228

62.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$34.87 MX$640

143.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$9.82 MX$180

25.76%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.26 MX$78.2

28.40%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.37 MX$25.20

178.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.24 MX$22.83

101.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.42 MX$62.7

135.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.57 MX$121

36.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.80 MX$33.03

-37.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.01 MX$55.3

25.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.76 MX$32.27

84.66%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.31 MX$60.7

25.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.34 MX$153

56.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$7.32 MX$134

95.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$11.88 MX$218

34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.86 MX$52.5

53.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.68 MX$30.79

-13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.91 MX$35.02

137.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.65 MX$30.30

153.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.58 MX$28.93

66.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.91 MX$35.07

23.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.47 MX$27.08

19.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.07 MX$19.73

101.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.37 MX$80.2

124.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.20 MX$151

79.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.30 MX$42.15

20.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$4.11 MX$75.5

-15.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.66 MX$12.11

125.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.00 MX$55.2

-11.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.28 MX$41.84

-30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$11.05 MX$203

219.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 MX$24.12

-24.43%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.2K MX$389.6K

68.73%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.4K MX$448.8K

11.17%

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

$219 $219

$48.34 MX$887

353.60%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$34.02 MX$625

70.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$29.93 MX$550

128.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$35.33 MX$649

63.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$20.08 MX$369

-26.20%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.88 MX$126

105.38%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$210 MX$3,849

619.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,684 MX$86.0K

358.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$54.5 MX$1,000

-5.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$46.77 MX$859

-5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$104 MX$1,901

-17.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$69.5 MX$1,277

51.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$624 MX$11.5K

209.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$396 MX$7,274

221.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,036 MX$19.0K

254.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$776 MX$14.2K

225.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,894 MX$34.8K

302.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,146 MX$21.0K

179.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

12.07

-43.74%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rosarito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Rosarito

$396 33.4% 68.9% $876

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Rosarito

$269 22.7% 33.1% $134

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Rosarito

$220 18.6% 36.6% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Rosarito

$112 9.5% 67.5% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Rosarito

$123 10.4% 4.1% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Rosarito

$49 4.1% 43% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Rosarito

$17 * 1.4% 70.1% $40

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $624 in Rosarito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $35.00 in Rosarito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $269 per month, with Rosarito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Rosarito

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

100,660

💱 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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Rosarito 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Rosarito

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 Rosarito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rosarito wins on cost – living expenses run 131% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rosarito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,759 in Rosarito 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $624 in Rosarito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $210 in Rosarito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rosarito – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,173 in Rosarito versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rosarito but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Rosarito 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 Rosarito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.