Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and San Sebastian

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $1,948 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,948 in San Sebastian.

Austin, TX $2,663
San Sebastian $1,948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,889 in San Sebastian.

Austin, TX $4,133
San Sebastian $2,889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,830 in San Sebastian.

Austin, TX $5,603
San Sebastian $3,830

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 37% more expensive than in San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, San Sebastian 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$16.76 €14.90

23.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$60.6 €53.9

39.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.58 €9.41

16.45%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.08 €1.85

170.67%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.87 €2.55

29.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.62 €1.44

54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.44 €3.06

134.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.62 €3.22

148.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.13 €1.01

-0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.06 €0.94

253.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.75 €1.56

86.29%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.72 €3.31

12.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$22.34 €19.87

-42.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.17 €7.27

73.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$21.10 €18.77

-23.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.51 €2.24

72.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.36 €2.10

-38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.34 €2.97

35.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.90 €2.58

49.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.06 €1.83

25.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.98 €1.76

18.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.18 €1.05

50.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.61 €0.54

263.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.07 €5.40

62.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.39 €6.58

104.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.08 €0.96

170.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.83 €1.63

89.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.11 €1.88

-29.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$33.85 €30.11

23.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$6.57 €5.85

-58.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.91 €0.81

82.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$22.70 €20.19

55.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.70 €1.51

-44.12%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$36.2K €32.2K

-0.39%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$28.7K €25.5K

-5.70%

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

$229 $229

$136 €121

67.91%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$20.40 €18.15

191.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$35.36 €31.45

97.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.41 €37.73

34.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$19.95 €17.75

-18.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.44 €7.50

69.19%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$453 €403

232.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$13.7K €12.2K

56.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$72.5 €64.5

-27.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$31.46 €27.99

39.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$74.7 €66.5

13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$134 €119

-22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,407 €1,252

35.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$954 €849

33.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,239 €1,992

63.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,522 €1,354

66.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$9,603 €8,541

-20.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,748 €4,223

-33.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,027 €2,693

69.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.92

132.53%

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 Sebastian: 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 Sebastian

$954 49% 25.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

San Sebastian

$316 16.2% 22% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

San Sebastian

$192 9.9% 46.4% $166

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

San Sebastian

$233 12% 34.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

San Sebastian

$141 7.2% 9.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

San Sebastian

$59 3% 30.9% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

San Sebastian

$53 2.7% 9% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,407 in San Sebastian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 69% 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $316 per month, with San Sebastian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

16:10 4:10 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

188,743

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX San Sebastian 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
San Sebastian

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 Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Sebastian wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Sebastian the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 69% 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 $1,407 in San Sebastian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,948 in San Sebastian – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Sebastian runs roughly 23% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,948 in San Sebastian versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Sebastian but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Sebastian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Sebastian delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,948 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Sebastian hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and San Sebastian 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 Sebastian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.