Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Pedro

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $1,707 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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 Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,707 in San Pedro.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Pedro $1,707

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,825 in San Pedro.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Pedro $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,943 in San Pedro.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Pedro $3,943

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 56% more expensive than in San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, San Pedro 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.40 ₡5,563

67.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$62.5 ₡28.0K

35.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.85 ₡5,314

3.97%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.38 ₡1,964

28.54%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.73 ₡1,226

36.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.85 ₡829

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.27 ₡1,467

146.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.42 ₡1,984

103.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.39 ₡1,074

-53.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.04 ₡1,363

23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.50 ₡1,123

30.40%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.48 ₡1,560

19.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.84 ₡4,862

19.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.52 ₡4,718

34.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.17 ₡6,355

14.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.11 ₡2,291

-15.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 ₡705

-7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.80 ₡2,153

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.79 ₡1,699

14.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.86 ₡1,732

-33.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.73 ₡1,674

-37.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.09 ₡487

63.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.10 ₡1,388

-28.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.97 ₡2,677

65.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.99 ₡8,963

-24.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.75 ₡1,235

6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.55 ₡1,590

-2.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.47 ₡661

1.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.49 ₡1,119

9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.56 ₡698

6.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.84 ₡3,964

299.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.51 ₡676

-37.09%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.7K ₡9.7M

66.33%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-23.94%

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

$229 $229

$94.6 ₡42.4K

141.96%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$35.67 ₡16.0K

66.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$60.3 ₡27.0K

15.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$69.6 ₡31.2K

-17.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.62 ₡3,417

87.40%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$985 ₡441.6K

52.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.3K ₡7.8M

24.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.4 ₡32.0K

-26.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.2 ₡24.8K

-20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$129 ₡57.9K

-34.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$131 ₡58.9K

-21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$818 ₡366.9K

133.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$610 ₡273.6K

108.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,985 ₡890.2K

84.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,447 ₡649.1K

75.37%

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 Pedro: 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 Pedro

$610 35.7% 52.1% $664

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Pedro

$400 23.5% 1% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Pedro

$191 11.2% 46.8% $168

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Pedro

$231 13.5% 34.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Pedro

$174 10.2% 36.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Pedro

$85 5% 1.1% $1

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Pedro

$16 * 1% 72.4% $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 $818 in San Pedro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $62.0 in San Pedro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $400 per month, with San Pedro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

27,477

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Pedro 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Pedro

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 Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pedro wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Pedro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,561 in San Pedro 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 $818 in San Pedro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $985 in San Pedro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Pedro – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,707 in San Pedro versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Pedro but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Pedro 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.

Expats usually find San Pedro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.