Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $913 in San José.

Austin, TX $2,698
San José $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,449 in San José.

Austin, TX $4,160
San José $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,985 in San José.

Austin, TX $5,622
San José $1,985

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 196% more expensive than in San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, San José is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$12.95 UYU 520

59.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$43.87 UYU 1,761

92.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$13.82 UYU 555

-12.66%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.88 UYU 196

12.30%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.38 UYU 95.6

59.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.19 UYU 87.9

12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.92 UYU 117

175.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.48 UYU 140

155.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.99 UYU 39.77

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.01 UYU 80.7

85.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.47 UYU 59.0

129.25%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.62 UYU 105

64.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.01 UYU 482

9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$7.26 UYU 291

94.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.07 UYU 484

35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.22 UYU 48.77

272.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.54 UYU 61.8

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.21 UYU 48.71

289.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.54 UYU 61.7

169.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.98 UYU 39.49

163.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.28 UYU 51.5

83.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.49 UYU 59.7

18.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.99 UYU 79.9

7.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$9.82 UYU 394

2.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$8.17 UYU 328

85.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.05 UYU 123

-7.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.35 UYU 135

2.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.50 UYU 141

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.45 UYU 139

-53.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$9.95 UYU 399

245.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-56.28%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-6.67%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-33.17%

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

$223 $223

$113 UYU 4,547

96.51%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.78 UYU 955

147.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$47.11 UYU 1,891

49.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$12.35 UYU 496

15.47%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$494 UYU 19.8K

205.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

212.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-41.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$37.57 UYU 1,508

17.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$164 UYU 6,601

-47.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$117 UYU 4,699

-10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

35.80%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

San José

$256 28.1% 36.8% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

San José

$184 20.2% 47.7% $168

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

San José

$243 26.7% 30.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

San José

$183 20.1% 42.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 71.4% $62

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 64.2% $37

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 $44.00 in San José for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $256 per month, with San José cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

36,747

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San José 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San José

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 José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San José wins on cost – living expenses run 196% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San José the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,369 in San José 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 $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $494 in San José. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San José – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $913 in San José versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San José 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 San José 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 José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 196% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.