Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 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
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $890 in San Juan.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Juan $890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,389 in San Juan.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Juan $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,888 in San Juan.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Juan $1,888

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 199% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, San Juan is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

207.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

115.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

1.99%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.59 ARS 3,938

117.37%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.11 ARS 3,202

76.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.82 ARS 2,761

37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.91 ARS 5,930

105.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.48 ARS 6,799

101.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.38 ARS 2,101

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.45 ARS 2,195

158.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.40 ARS 2,124

132.86%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.44 ARS 2,184

189.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$2.84 ARS 4,305

354.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.23 ARS 9,448

127.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

48.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.40 ARS 2,129

209.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.39 ARS 2,108

5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.34 ARS 2,037

236.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.45 ARS 2,193

199.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.40 ARS 2,128

84.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.38 ARS 2,098

70.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.40 ARS 2,129

27.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.44 ARS 2,183

54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.71 ARS 4,117

264.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.90 ARS 7,433

207.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.41 ARS 2,136

107.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.44 ARS 2,178

140.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.96 ARS 1,460

55.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.98 ARS 3,006

37.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.99 ARS 1,495

67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.84 ARS 7,351

629.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.17 ARS 1,782

-18.80%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

34.85%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

-19.54%

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

$229 $229

$144 ARS 218.7K

58.89%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

491.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

292.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

88.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

106.06%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$172 ARS 260.5K

777.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

420.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$107 ARS 162.3K

-50.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

2.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

45.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

187.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$249 ARS 378.2K

665.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$198 ARS 301.1K

542.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$492 ARS 747.1K

644.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$400 ARS 607.2K

534.33%

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

$700 ARS 1.1M

631.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-87.43%

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 Juan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

San Juan

$198 22.3% 84.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 53.2% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Juan

$172 19.3% 52% $186

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Juan

$166 18.6% 53.2% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Juan

$110 12.3% 14.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Juan

$44 5% 48.4% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 81.7% $48

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 $249 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 632% 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 $39.00 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $190 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

522,029

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Austin, TX
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan wins on cost – living expenses run 199% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Juan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 632% 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 $249 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $172 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $890 in San Juan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan 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 Juan 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 Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 199% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.