Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Rafael

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,732 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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 Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,732 in San Rafael.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Rafael $1,732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,736 in San Rafael.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Rafael $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,739 in San Rafael.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Rafael $3,739

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 54% more expensive than in San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, San Rafael 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.25 ₡5,496

69.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$61.7 ₡27.7K

37.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.42 ₡5,119

7.88%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.40 ₡1,973

27.95%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.73 ₡1,225

36.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.87 ₡841

33.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.37 ₡1,510

138.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.54 ₡2,038

98.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.33 ₡1,044

-51.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.02 ₡1,352

24.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.42 ₡1,084

34.71%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.52 ₡1,580

18.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.51 ₡4,712

22.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.25 ₡4,597

38.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.22 ₡6,378

14.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.09 ₡2,282

-14.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 ₡704

-7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.68 ₡2,098

-3.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.86 ₡1,730

12.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.88 ₡1,741

-33.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.69 ₡1,653

-36.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.09 ₡488

63.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.13 ₡1,403

-29.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.11 ₡2,739

61.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$20.14 ₡9,031

-25.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.80 ₡1,254

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.58 ₡1,606

-3.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.18 ₡527

26.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.51 ₡1,124

8.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.57 ₡703

5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.48 ₡3,803

316.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.54 ₡692

-38.31%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

61.48%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-23.81%

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

$229 $229

$93.5 ₡41.9K

144.96%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.26 ₡16.3K

63.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$58.4 ₡26.2K

19.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$63.0 ₡28.3K

-9.16%

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

$991 ₡444.6K

51.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.8K ₡7.5M

27.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-25.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.6 ₡25.0K

-21.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$129 ₡58.0K

-34.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$133 ₡59.5K

-22.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$740 ₡332.0K

157.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$649 ₡291.2K

96.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,069 ₡927.9K

77.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,274 ₡571.5K

99.17%

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 Rafael: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

San Rafael

$649 37.5% 49% $625

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Rafael

$398 23% 1.7% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Rafael

$188 10.9% 47.5% $170

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Rafael

$229 13.2% 35.2% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Rafael

$175 10.1% 36.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Rafael

$78 4.5% 9.1% $7.8

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9% 74.4% $44

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 $740 in San Rafael. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $62.0 in San Rafael for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $398 per month, with San Rafael cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

30,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Rafael 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Rafael wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Rafael the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,599 in San Rafael 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 $740 in San Rafael. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $991 in San Rafael. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Rafael – 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 $1,732 in San Rafael versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in San Rafael but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Rafael 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 Rafael gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.