Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Salamanca

For one person, living is cheaper in Salamanca: $1,129 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Salamanca
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Salamanca Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Salamanca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,129 in Salamanca.

Austin, TX $2,698
Salamanca $1,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,817 in Salamanca.

Austin, TX $4,160
Salamanca $1,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,505 in Salamanca.

Austin, TX $5,622
Salamanca $2,505

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 139% more expensive than in Salamanca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Salamanca is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$10.91 MX$202

89.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$43.23 MX$799

95.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$8.45 MX$156

42.84%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.50 MX$64.7

56.57%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.39 MX$25.70

173.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.05 MX$19.49

135.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.44 MX$45.16

229.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.99 MX$73.7

122.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.58 MX$29.14

-29.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.57 MX$47.44

44.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.73 MX$31.94

94.80%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.50 MX$46.17

72.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$8.25 MX$152

59.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$8.36 MX$155

69.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.63 MX$215

40.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.76 MX$51.0

64.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.52 MX$28.18

-3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.95 MX$36.05

141.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.77 MX$32.67

134.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.94 MX$35.89

32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.89 MX$34.84

24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.41 MX$26.08

25.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.08 MX$19.98

98.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.28 MX$79.0

135.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.50 MX$194

44.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.83 MX$33.83

54.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.16 MX$58.4

8.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.64 MX$11.77

140.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.64 MX$48.77

6.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.94 MX$35.86

-17.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$10.84 MX$200

216.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 MX$27.66

-37.33%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$21.6K MX$399.3K

57.25%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$24.4K MX$450.4K

9.82%

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

$223 $223

$57.5 MX$1,062

287.42%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.04 MX$426

155.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$29.82 MX$551

136.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$33.77 MX$624

70.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$20.34 MX$376

-18.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.35 MX$98.8

166.54%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$221 MX$4,089

582.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$4,578 MX$84.6K

356.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$54.9 MX$1,014

-6.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$40.23 MX$743

9.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$99.0 MX$1,830

-12.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$90.3 MX$1,668

15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$604 MX$11.2K

221.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$383 MX$7,073

243.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,057 MX$19.5K

246.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$752 MX$13.9K

240.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,948 MX$36.0K

277.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,141 MX$21.1K

174.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Salamanca: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Salamanca

$383 33.9% 70.9% $934

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Salamanca

$264 23.4% 34.9% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Salamanca

$110 9.8% 68.7% $242

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Salamanca

$185 16.4% 47.3% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Salamanca

$128 11.3% 0.8% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Salamanca

$44 3.9% 48.4% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Salamanca

$15 * 1.3% 74.3% $43

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 $604 in Salamanca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $43.00 in Salamanca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $264 per month, with Salamanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Salamanca

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

160,682

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Salamanca 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Salamanca

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 Salamanca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salamanca wins on cost – living expenses run 139% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Salamanca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,694 in Salamanca 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $604 in Salamanca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $221 in Salamanca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Salamanca – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,129 in Salamanca versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Salamanca but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Salamanca 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 Salamanca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.