Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $857 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $857 in Sal.

Austin, TX $2,704
Sal $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,347 in Sal.

Austin, TX $4,133
Sal $1,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,836 in Sal.

Austin, TX $5,562
Sal $1,836

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 215% more expensive than in Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Sal is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$5.71 CVE 562

254.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$46.45 CVE 4,571

83.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.40 CVE 1,122

8.33%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.27 CVE 223

140.97%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.69 CVE 265

42.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.15 CVE 113

117.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.50 CVE 443

79.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.14 CVE 309

186.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.61 CVE 159

-29.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.21 CVE 218

71.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.21 CVE 119

168.60%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.98 CVE 293

38.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.52 CVE 936

37.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$7.63 CVE 751

87.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$16.54 CVE 1,628

-3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.27 CVE 322

33.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.42 CVE 238

-40.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.26 CVE 321

39.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.03 CVE 396

3.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.74 CVE 172

51.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.89 CVE 186

24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.57 CVE 155

12.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.16 CVE 114

86.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.54 CVE 447

116.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$6.82 CVE 671

115.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.01 CVE 395

-30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.86 CVE 183

87.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.05 CVE 103

41.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.09 CVE 206

27.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.17 CVE 312

-50.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$12.72 CVE 1,252

177.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.34 CVE 132

-26.12%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

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

$27.2K $27.2K

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

$219 $219

$62.3 CVE 6,132

251.90%

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

$58.0 $58.0

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$50.3 CVE 4,945

36.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$28.27 CVE 2,782

104.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

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

$1,509 $1,509

$115 CVE 11.3K

1212.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$30.89 CVE 3,040

67.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$144 CVE 14.2K

-26.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$260 CVE 25.6K

643.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$172 CVE 17.0K

638.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$304 CVE 29.9K

1109.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$208 CVE 20.5K

1114.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$672 CVE 66.1K

1033.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$341 CVE 33.5K

838.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$254 CVE 25.0K

1909.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.25

29.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Sal

$172 19.9% 86.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Sal

$302 34.8% 25% $101

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Sal

$151 17.4% 56.5% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Sal

$113 * 13% 67.4% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Sal

$79 * 9.1% 38.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Sal

$28 * 3.3% 67.2% $58

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Sal

$22 * 2.6% 61.2% $35

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 $260 in Sal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1910% 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 $46.00 in Sal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $302 per month, with Sal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

4 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,288

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.4 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

CVE to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Sal 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sal wins on cost – living expenses run 215% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1910% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $260 in Sal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $115 in Sal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sal – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $857 in Sal versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sal but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sal 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 Sal 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 Sal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 215% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.