Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Antonio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Antonio: $612 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio
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San Antonio Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Antonio

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in San Antonio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $612 in San Antonio.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Antonio $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,039 in San Antonio.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Antonio $1,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,467 in San Antonio.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Antonio $1,467

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 335% more expensive than in San Antonio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, San Antonio is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.96 ₲39.6K

198.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$43.13 ₲245.2K

96.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.07 ₲40.2K

74.26%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.45 ₲19.6K

63.19%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.06 ₲6,023

250.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.57 ₲3,268

338.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.92 ₲10.9K

319.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.75 ₲9,951

414.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.27 ₲7,231

-11.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.48 ₲8,425

153.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.41 ₲7,997

131.21%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.51 ₲14.3K

66.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.70 ₲55.1K

32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.47 ₲31.1K

158.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.38 ₲59.0K

56.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.13 ₲17.8K

38.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.25 ₲7,134

16.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.20 ₲6,851

275.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.56 ₲14.5K

69.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.40 ₲7,952

84.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.36 ₲7,747

72.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.94 ₲5,372

89.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.74 ₲4,191

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.38 ₲13.6K

315.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.28 ₲52.8K

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.42 ₲8,066

105.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.72 ₲9,805

101.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.55 ₲8,831

76.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.60 ₲9,086

3.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.59 ₲60.2K

233.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.23 ₲7,016

-22.76%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$17.4K ₲99.2M

106.70%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$35.7K ₲203.1M

-24.22%

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

$229 $229

$50.6 ₲287.9K

352.28%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.77 ₲101.0K

234.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$22.45 ₲127.7K

211.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.66 ₲49.2K

64.90%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$191 ₲1.1M

690.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,832 ₲33.2M

267.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$66.1 ₲375.6K

-20.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$57.9 ₲329.3K

-24.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$107 ₲606.3K

-20.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.6 ₲412.6K

41.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

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

10.5

-35.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Antonio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

San Antonio

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Antonio

$220 36% 45.6% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Antonio

$91 14.8% 74.6% $267

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Antonio

$138 22.5% 61% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Antonio

$136 22.3% 6.6% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Antonio

$17 * 2.8% 79.8% $68

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Antonio

$9.5 * 1.6% 83.7% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $43.00 in San Antonio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $220 per month, with San Antonio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇾 San Antonio

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

68,127

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

PYG to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Antonio 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Antonio

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 San Antonio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Antonio wins on cost – living expenses run 335% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Antonio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $918 in San Antonio 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.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $191 in San Antonio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Antonio – 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 $612 in San Antonio versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Antonio but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Antonio 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 San Antonio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 335% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.