Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Ramon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Ramon: $1,755 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,755 in San Ramon.

Austin, TX $2,704
San Ramon $1,755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,755 in San Ramon.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Ramon $2,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,755 in San Ramon.

Austin, TX $5,562
San Ramon $3,755

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, San Ramon 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$11.87 ₡5,352

70.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$56.6 ₡25.5K

50.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.15 ₡5,025

10.76%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.31 ₡1,942

26.91%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.60 ₡1,172

46.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.91 ₡862

30.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.35 ₡1,510

140.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.36 ₡1,968

106.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.33 ₡1,050

-51.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.09 ₡1,392

22.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.44 ₡1,099

33.20%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$5.22 ₡2,354

-20.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.80 ₡4,868

21.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.47 ₡4,720

36.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$14.16 ₡6,384

12.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$5.22 ₡2,352

-16.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.55 ₡699

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.45 ₡1,557

31.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.37 ₡1,521

24.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.02 ₡1,361

-12.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.18 ₡1,436

-25.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.26 ₡569

39.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.67 ₡1,202

-19.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.74 ₡2,587

70.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$16.49 ₡7,435

-10.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.54 ₡1,143

9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.62 ₡1,182

32.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.36 ₡612

9.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.51 ₡1,131

6.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.64 ₡738

-3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.98 ₡4,047

292.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.49 ₡672

-33.56%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

64.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$35.1K ₡15.8M

-22.53%

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

$219 $219

$145 ₡65.4K

51.16%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$44.41 ₡20.0K

30.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$54.9 ₡24.8K

24.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$73.2 ₡33.0K

-20.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.38 ₡3,778

68.62%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$858 ₡386.6K

75.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

24.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$71.2 ₡32.1K

-27.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$57.2 ₡25.8K

-22.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$131 ₡59.2K

-35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$134 ₡60.4K

-21.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$793 ₡357.5K

143.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$630 ₡284.0K

101.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,848 ₡833.1K

98.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,266 ₡570.7K

99.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,168 ₡526.5K

552.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,157 ₡521.7K

176.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.78

-22.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

San Ramon

$630 35.7% 50.5% $642

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

San Ramon

$382 21.6% 5.3% $21

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

San Ramon

$224 12.7% 35.7% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

San Ramon

$244 13.9% 29.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

San Ramon

$177 10.1% 37.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

San Ramon

$90 5.1% 4.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 71.7% $41

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $793 in San Ramon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $57.0 in San Ramon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $382 per month, with San Ramon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

01:31 1:31 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

10,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Ramon 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Ramon

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 Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Ramon 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 Ramon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $2,633 in San Ramon 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $793 in San Ramon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $858 in San Ramon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Ramon – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,755 in San Ramon versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in San Ramon but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Ramon 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 Ramon 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 Ramon 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.