Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,684 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
84

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

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/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 $1,684 in San Juan.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Juan $1,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,772 in San Juan.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Juan $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,861 in San Juan.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Juan $3,861

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 58% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, San Juan 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.36 ₡5,541

68.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

38.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.46 ₡5,139

7.50%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.42 ₡1,982

27.38%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.77 ₡1,240

34.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.94 ₡870

28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.31 ₡1,483

143.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.45 ₡1,996

102.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.34 ₡1,052

-52.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.18 ₡1,425

17.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.51 ₡1,125

29.88%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.46 ₡1,551

20.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.66 ₡4,782

21.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.33 ₡4,633

37.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.90 ₡6,233

16.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.97 ₡2,230

-12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.59 ₡714

-8.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.64 ₡2,079

-2.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.95 ₡1,771

9.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.86 ₡1,731

-33.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.75 ₡1,684

-37.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.07 ₡479

66.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.08 ₡1,379

-27.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.00 ₡2,691

64.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.72 ₡8,844

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.76 ₡1,236

5.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.69 ₡1,654

-6.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.37 ₡614

8.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.41 ₡1,079

13.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.54 ₡693

7.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.58 ₡3,849

311.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 ₡695

-38.71%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.63%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.9K ₡15.6M

-22.35%

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

$229 $229

$96.4 ₡43.2K

137.62%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$35.06 ₡15.7K

69.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$59.3 ₡26.6K

17.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$66.9 ₡30.0K

-14.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.50 ₡3,362

90.40%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,001 ₡449.1K

50.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

27.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$70.9 ₡31.8K

-25.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.3 ₡24.8K

-20.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$126 ₡56.6K

-32.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$134 ₡60.2K

-23.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$717 ₡321.3K

166.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$593 ₡266.1K

114.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,850 ₡829.6K

98.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,386 ₡621.4K

83.19%

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

8.62

-21.23%

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 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

San Juan

$593 35.2% 53.4% $681

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Juan

$398 23.6% 1.6% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Juan

$191 11.3% 46.8% $168

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Juan

$231 13.7% 34.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Juan

$174 10.3% 35.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Juan

$82 4.9% 4.5% $3.9

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 73.4% $43

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 $717 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $61.0 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $398 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

27,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Juan 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min 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 58% 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.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,526 in San Juan 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $717 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 $1,001 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 $61.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,684 in San Juan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 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 work as nomad bases, but San Juan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,684 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Juan hard to pass up.

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 58% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.