Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Bernardino, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardino, CA
Learn more

San Bernardino, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Bernardino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,856

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Bernardino, CA $2,856

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,354 in San Bernardino, CA.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Bernardino, CA $4,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $5,853 in San Bernardino, CA.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Bernardino, CA $5,853

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 7% less than in San Bernardino, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, San Bernardino, CA 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$20.02 $20.02

3.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$76.5 $76.5

10.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$16.54 $16.54

-25.51%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.87 $5.87

-4.09%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.54 $3.54

5.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.35 $2.35

6.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.30 $7.30

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$9.38 $9.38

-3.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.09 $1.09

2.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.93 $3.93

-4.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.69 $4.69

-30.49%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.70 $4.70

-11.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$12.99 $12.99

-0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.68 $8.68

63.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$15.33 $15.33

5.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.67 $4.67

-7.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.79 $1.79

-18.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.05 $4.05

11.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.67 $5.67

-23.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.61 $3.61

-28.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.21 $2.21

6.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.99 $1.99

-10.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.86 $1.86

19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.74 $11.74

-15.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.74 $14.74

2.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.12 $2.12

37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.31 $4.31

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.06 $2.06

-27.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$59.5 $59.5

-29.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$9.83 $9.83

-72.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.47 $1.47

-35.37%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$36.5K $36.5K

-1.19%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$25.7K $25.7K

5.37%

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

$229 $229

$216 $216

6.18%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$66.6 $66.6

-10.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$73.4 $73.4

-4.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$39.64 $39.64

44.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.33 $15.33

-6.85%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,143 $1,143

31.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.4K $17.4K

23.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$62.8 $62.8

-15.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$47.37 $47.37

-7.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$105 $105

-19.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$145 $145

-29.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,775 $1,775

7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,442 $1,442

-11.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,508 $2,508

46.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,783 $2,783

-8.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,608 $3,608

111.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,635 $3,635

-13.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,468 $3,468

47.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.39

6.26%

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 Bernardino, CA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

San Bernardino, CA

$1.4K 50.5% 13.2% $168

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Bernardino, CA

$389 13.6% 3.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Bernardino, CA

$356 12.5% 0.7% $2.6

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Bernardino, CA

$359 12.6% 1.5% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Bernardino, CA

$162 5.7% 26.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Bernardino, CA

$70 2.5% 18.1% $16

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Bernardino, CA

$78 * 2.7% 32.1% $19

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 $1,775 in San Bernardino, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $389 per month, with San Bernardino, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 San Bernardino, CA

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

220,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Bernardino, CA 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Bernardino, CA

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 Bernardino, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in San Bernardino, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,775 in San Bernardino, CA. 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 $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 43% less than in San Bernardino, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in San Bernardino, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.