Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Cristobal de las Casas

For one person, living is cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas: $925 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
45

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in San Cristobal de las Casas

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 Cristobal de las Casas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $925 in San Cristobal de las Casas.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Cristobal de las Casas $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,420 in San Cristobal de las Casas.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Cristobal de las Casas $1,420

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,915 in San Cristobal de las Casas.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Cristobal de las Casas $1,915

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 188% more expensive than in San Cristobal de las Casas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, San Cristobal de las Casas is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.36 MX$99.0

287.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$27.82 MX$514

204.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.07 MX$112

102.97%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.48 MX$45.91

127.02%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.62 MX$29.93

129.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.03 MX$19.08

142.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.80 MX$51.8

187.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.24 MX$59.8

178.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.41 MX$26.10

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.58 MX$66.1

4.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.60 MX$29.62

103.75%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.27 MX$41.91

83.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.69 MX$124

92.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.11 MX$76.0

244.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.40 MX$118

153.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.29 MX$60.9

31.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.10 MX$38.81

-30.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.21 MX$40.80

104.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.45 MX$26.74

199.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.61 MX$29.75

60.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.77 MX$32.68

32.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.82 MX$33.56

-2.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.61 MX$29.68

37.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.88 MX$34.79

425.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.57 MX$195

42.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.40 MX$44.35

21.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.96 MX$36.27

76.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.56 MX$10.41

166.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$27.82 MX$514

49.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.69 MX$49.67

1.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.79 MX$51.6

-40.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.39 MX$25.66

-31.65%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.0K MX$351.7K

89.43%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

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

$229 $229

$32.74 MX$605

599.42%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$14.82 MX$274

300.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.42 MX$377

242.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$22.92 MX$423

149.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$23.54 MX$435

-30.63%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.73 MX$124

112.18%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$208 MX$3,843

624.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,657 MX$49.1K

707.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$19.35 MX$358

172.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$27.33 MX$505

60.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$95.5 MX$1,765

-11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$54.0 MX$999

90.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$434 MX$8,014

339.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$321 MX$5,938

296.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$890 MX$16.4K

311.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$527 MX$9,741

381.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$835 MX$15.4K

811.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$664 MX$12.3K

375.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$403 MX$7,451

1170.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.8

-30.71%

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 Cristobal de las Casas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$321 34.7% 74.8% $953

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$242 26.2% 40.1% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$68 7.4% 81% $290

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$122 13.2% 65.5% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.6% 31% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 3.9% 57.6% $49

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$47 5.1% 20.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $434 in San Cristobal de las Casas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1170% 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 $28.00 in San Cristobal de las Casas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $242 per month, with San Cristobal de las Casas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

183,509

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Cristobal de las Casas 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Cristobal de las Casas

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 Cristobal de las Casas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Cristobal de las Casas wins on cost – living expenses run 188% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Cristobal de las Casas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1170% 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 $434 in San Cristobal de las Casas. 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 $925 in San Cristobal de las Casas – a 188% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Cristobal de las Casas runs roughly 50% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $925 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Cristobal de las Casas but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Cristobal de las Casas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Cristobal de las Casas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $925 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Cristobal de las Casas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and San Cristobal de las Casas 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 San Cristobal de las Casas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 188% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.