Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,058 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,058 in San Juan del Sur.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Juan del Sur $1,058

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,682 in San Juan del Sur.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Juan del Sur $1,682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,307 in San Juan del Sur.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Juan del Sur $2,307

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 152% more expensive than in San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, San Juan del Sur is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.17 NIO 153

398.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$34.08 NIO 1,248

148.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.57 NIO 204

121.18%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.56 NIO 93.7

119.92%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.86 NIO 31.37

332.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.68 NIO 25.02

267.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.47 NIO 53.8

447.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.23 NIO 81.8

304.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.24 NIO 45.36

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.53 NIO 55.9

145.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.19 NIO 43.56

173.95%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.44 NIO 89.2

70.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.71 NIO 283

67.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.15 NIO 225

130.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.84 NIO 287

106.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.10 NIO 150

5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.62 NIO 22.71

135.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.84 NIO 67.3

145.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.45 NIO 89.9

77.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.11 NIO 114

-17.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.18 NIO 79.9

7.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.05 NIO 38.54

69.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.05 NIO 38.52

111.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.76 NIO 101

257.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.76 NIO 357

54.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.42 NIO 51.9

105.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.18 NIO 79.7

58.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.58 NIO 58.0

72.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.64 NIO 60.3

1.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.87 NIO 252

413.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.34 NIO 49.13

-29.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

57.78%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

1.48%

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

$229 $229

$60.8 NIO 2,225

276.88%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.32 NIO 378

475.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$33.01 NIO 1,209

111.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$30.51 NIO 1,118

87.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.23 NIO 338

54.71%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$233 NIO 8,530

546.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

250.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$61.1 NIO 2,237

-13.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$66.1 NIO 2,421

-33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$123 NIO 4,500

-31.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$146 NIO 5,331

-29.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$423 NIO 15.5K

350.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$393 NIO 14.4K

224.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$930 NIO 34.1K

294.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$797 NIO 29.2K

218.32%

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

$346 NIO 12.7K

1380.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.92

-43.04%

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 del Sur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

San Juan del Sur

$393 37.2% 69.1% $881

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3% 44.4% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8% 70.9% $254

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3% 72.1% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8% 39.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6% 42.9% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9% 83.3% $49

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 $423 in San Juan del Sur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1380% 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 $34.00 in San Juan del Sur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $225 per month, with San Juan del Sur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

14,741

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

NIO to USD in detail →

On the map

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Austin, TX San Juan del Sur 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Juan del Sur

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 del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan del Sur wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Juan del Sur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1380% 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 $423 in San Juan del Sur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $233 in San Juan del Sur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan del Sur – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Juan del Sur but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan del Sur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Juan del Sur delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,058 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Juan del Sur hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Juan del Sur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.