Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santa Ana

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $2,018 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Santa Ana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,018 in Santa Ana.

Austin, TX $2,663
Santa Ana $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,233 in Santa Ana.

Austin, TX $4,133
Santa Ana $3,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,447 in Santa Ana.

Austin, TX $5,603
Santa Ana $4,447

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 32% more expensive than in Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Santa Ana 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.04 ₡5,401

72.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$62.6 ₡28.1K

35.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.78 ₡5,285

4.58%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.40 ₡1,975

27.95%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.14 ₡959

73.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.37 ₡613

82.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.36 ₡1,508

139.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.27 ₡1,917

111.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.21 ₡993

-49.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.12 ₡1,400

20.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.51 ₡1,127

29.88%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.47 ₡1,554

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.87 ₡4,876

18.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.40 ₡4,664

36.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.19 ₡6,364

14.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.10 ₡2,289

-15.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 ₡742

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.65 ₡2,086

-3.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.98 ₡1,785

9.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.93 ₡1,761

-34.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.60 ₡1,615

-34.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ₡500

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.80 ₡808

23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.11 ₡2,738

61.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$17.77 ₡7,970

-15.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.88 ₡1,293

1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.69 ₡1,207

28.62%

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

$2.49 ₡1,116

9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.56 ₡698

6.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.59 ₡3,852

310.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 ₡694

-38.71%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.91%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-21.75%

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

$229 $229

$93.7 ₡42.0K

144.52%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$32.78 ₡14.7K

81.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$50.0 ₡22.4K

39.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$157 ₡70.4K

-63.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$22.25 ₡9,980

-26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.78 ₡3,490

83.55%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$983 ₡440.6K

53.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

23.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$65.4 ₡29.3K

-19.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$56.0 ₡25.1K

-21.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$127 ₡57.2K

-33.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$132 ₡59.0K

-21.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,055 ₡473.0K

80.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$885 ₡396.9K

43.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,955 ₡1.3M

23.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,844 ₡827.1K

37.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,727 ₡1.2M

179.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,657 ₡743.2K

90.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,402 ₡628.9K

265.14%

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 Santa Ana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Santa Ana

$885 43.9% 30.5% $389

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Santa Ana

$379 18.8% 6.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Santa Ana

$176 8.7% 50.8% $182

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Santa Ana

$224 11.1% 36.7% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Santa Ana

$171 8.5% 33.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Santa Ana

$173 8.6% 101% $87

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5% 82.5% $48

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 $1,055 in Santa Ana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 265% 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 $63.0 in Santa Ana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $379 per month, with Santa Ana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

13,000

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Santa Ana 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santa Ana

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 Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Ana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 265% 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 $1,055 in Santa Ana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $983 in Santa Ana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Ana – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,018 in Santa Ana versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Ana but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Ana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Ana delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,018 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Ana hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.