Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santa Clara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Clara: $952 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara
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Santa Clara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Santa Clara

🇨🇺 Cuba

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $952 in Santa Clara.

Austin, TX $2,663
Santa Clara $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,432 in Santa Clara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Santa Clara $1,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,912 in Santa Clara.

Austin, TX $5,603
Santa Clara $1,912

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 180% more expensive than in Santa Clara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Santa Clara is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.67 CUP 88.0

465.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$27.41 CUP 658

208.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.90 CUP 118

151.43%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.05 CUP 25.15

436.19%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.53 CUP 36.75

143.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.92 CUP 21.99

171.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.23 CUP 29.56

554.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.05 CUP 49.31

339.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.82 CUP 67.7

-60.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.16 CUP 27.94

223.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.72 CUP 41.16

89.53%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.48 CUP 83.5

19.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.55 CUP 109

183.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.74 CUP 114

198.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.66 CUP 208

87.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.11 CUP 147

-29.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.06 CUP 25.38

37.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.00 CUP 96.0

12.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.28 CUP 54.7

90.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.90 CUP 69.7

-11.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.76 CUP 66.2

-14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.67 CUP 16.06

165.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.53 CUP 12.80

318.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.69 CUP 40.57

484.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.24 CUP 126

187.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.70 CUP 40.90

71.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.05 CUP 49.14

68.78%

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

$2.54 CUP 60.9

7.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.34 CUP 8.08

388.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$20.04 CUP 481

76.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.28 CUP 30.61

-25.78%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$59.0K CUP 1.4M

-38.93%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$61.2K CUP 1.5M

-55.75%

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

$229 $229

$47.01 CUP 1,128

387.11%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$38.40 CUP 922

54.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$90.5 CUP 2,172

-22.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$0.84 CUP 20.05

1600.00%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$157 CUP 3,757

861.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.3K CUP 296.1K

73.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$51.3 CUP 1,231

2.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$41.95 CUP 1,007

4.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$81.0 CUP 1,945

4.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$66.4 CUP 1,595

55.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$344 CUP 8,260

454.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$351 CUP 8,413

263.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$739 CUP 17.7K

395.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$598 CUP 14.4K

324.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$277 CUP 6,646

2649.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$293 CUP 7,037

976.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.1

-25.38%

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 Clara: 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 Clara

$351 36.8% 72.5% $924

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Santa Clara

$235 24.7% 42% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Santa Clara

$176 18.5% 50.9% $182

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Santa Clara

$77 8.1% 78.3% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Santa Clara

$108 11.4% 15.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Santa Clara

$1.7 * 0.2% 98.1% $84

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Santa Clara

$4.2 * 0.4% 92.8% $54

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 $344 in Santa Clara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $27.00 in Santa Clara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $235 per month, with Santa Clara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇺 Santa Clara

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

216,056

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

CUP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Santa Clara 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santa Clara

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 Clara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Clara wins on cost – living expenses run 180% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Clara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,428 in Santa Clara 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 $344 in Santa Clara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $157 in Santa Clara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Clara – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $952 in Santa Clara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santa Clara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.