Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sa Pa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa Pa: $731 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Sa Pa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $731 in Sa Pa.

Austin, TX $2,663
Sa Pa $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,170 in Sa Pa.

Austin, TX $4,133
Sa Pa $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,608 in Sa Pa.

Austin, TX $5,603
Sa Pa $1,608

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 264% more expensive than in Sa Pa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Sa Pa is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.89 ₫48.9K

998.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$21.25 ₫550.1K

298.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.50 ₫116.4K

173.78%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.70 ₫44.1K

231.18%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.47 ₫12.1K

691.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.30 ₫7,831

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.97 ₫25.1K

729.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.58 ₫41.0K

470.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.38 ₫35.7K

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.99 ₫25.8K

278.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.99 ₫25.5K

229.29%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.40 ₫36.2K

197.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.73 ₫303.8K

9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.68 ₫95.4K

284.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.07 ₫260.7K

61.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.74 ₫71.0K

58.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.03 ₫26.6K

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.36 ₫35.1K

231.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.07 ₫27.8K

305.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.02 ₫26.5K

152.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.05 ₫27.1K

123.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.65 ₫16.8K

173.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.48 ₫12.4K

362.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.38 ₫35.7K

615.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.61 ₫300.6K

29.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.75 ₫19.4K

289.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.61 ₫41.7K

114.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.32 ₫8,276

365.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$6.51 ₫168.6K

540.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.72 ₫18.7K

279.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.62 ₫16.0K

167.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.83 ₫73.2K

1147.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.83 ₫21.6K

14.46%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.5K ₫920.2M

1.42%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.1K ₫829.7M

-15.53%

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

$229 $229

$76.5 ₫2.0M

199.22%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$5.96 ₫154.3K

896.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$8.62 ₫223.1K

711.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$22.19 ₫574.5K

157.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.59 ₫196.5K

115.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.09 ₫79.9K

362.14%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$266 ₫6.9M

467.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.7K ₫303.6M

82.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$40.21 ₫1.0M

31.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$23.33 ₫603.9K

87.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$85.4 ₫2.2M

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$75.8 ₫2.0M

35.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$365 ₫9.4M

423.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$248 ₫6.4M

414.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$729 ₫18.9M

402.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$535 ₫13.8M

374.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,076 ₫53.7M

266.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,264 ₫32.7M

149.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.1

-25.38%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sa Pa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Sa Pa

$248 33.9% 80.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Sa Pa

$191 26.2% 52.7% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Sa Pa

$91 12.5% 74.6% $267

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Sa Pa

$60 8.2% 83% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Sa Pa

$101 13.8% 21% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Sa Pa

$28 3.9% 66.9% $57

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Sa Pa

$12 1.6% 80.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $365 in Sa Pa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $21.00 in Sa Pa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $191 per month, with Sa Pa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

22,882

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

VND to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Sa Pa 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sa Pa

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 Sa Pa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sa Pa wins on cost – living expenses run 264% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sa Pa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,097 in Sa Pa 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 $365 in Sa Pa. 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 $731 in Sa Pa – a 264% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sa Pa runs roughly 541% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $731 in Sa Pa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sa Pa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sa Pa 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 Sa Pa 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 Sa Pa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 264% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.