Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Samara

For one person, living is cheaper in Samara: $2,007 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,007 in Samara.

Austin, TX $2,663
Samara $2,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,528 in Samara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Samara $3,528

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $5,050 in Samara.

Austin, TX $5,603
Samara $5,050

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 33% more expensive than in Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Samara 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.84 ₡4,864

91.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$62.2 ₡27.9K

35.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.71 ₡5,250

5.21%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.38 ₡1,965

28.54%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.72 ₡1,218

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.90 ₡851

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.27 ₡1,464

146.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.56 ₡2,043

97.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.36 ₡1,056

-52.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.14 ₡1,407

19.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.40 ₡1,075

35.83%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.47 ₡1,556

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.73 ₡4,812

20.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.58 ₡4,746

33.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.85 ₡4,864

49.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.02 ₡2,252

-13.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 ₡705

-7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.80 ₡2,153

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.85 ₡1,728

12.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.85 ₡1,728

-32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.61 ₡1,618

-34.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.08 ₡483

64.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.22 ₡1,445

-31.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.40 ₡2,423

82.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.51 ₡8,752

-22.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.80 ₡1,254

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.36 ₡1,056

46.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.37 ₡613

8.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.40 ₡1,078

13.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.55 ₡693

7.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.46 ₡3,793

317.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.49 ₡668

-36.24%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

62.25%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.57%

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

$229 $229

$93.7 ₡42.0K

144.41%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.05 ₡16.2K

64.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$58.2 ₡26.1K

20.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$72.9 ₡32.7K

-21.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.53 ₡3,376

89.64%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$497 ₡223.0K

202.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,064 ₡2.7M

253.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-19.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.5 ₡24.9K

-20.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$131 ₡58.6K

-35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$134 ₡60.2K

-23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,393 ₡624.9K

36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$935 ₡419.2K

36.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$3,664 ₡1.6M

0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,613 ₡1.2M

-2.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,004 ₡2.2M

52.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Samara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Samara

$935 46.6% 26.6% $339

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Samara

$389 19.4% 4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Samara

$188 9.4% 47.6% $170

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Samara

$218 10.9% 38.3% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Samara

$174 8.7% 35.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Samara

$88 4.4% 2.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 73.4% $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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,393 in Samara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $62.0 in Samara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $389 per month, with Samara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

22:33 10:33 PM

21:33 9:33 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,071

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Samara 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samara wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Samara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $3,010 in Samara 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 $1,393 in Samara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $497 in Samara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Samara – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,007 in Samara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Samara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Samara 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 Samara 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 Samara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.