Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $626 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Austin, TX $2,663
Santa Cruz, Laguna $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $931 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Austin, TX $4,133
Santa Cruz, Laguna $931

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,236 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Austin, TX $5,603
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,236

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 325% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Santa Cruz, Laguna is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.57 ₱99.0

1222.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$8.09 ₱509

945.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$2.76 ₱174

346.38%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.78 ₱112

216.29%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.38 ₱23.98

878.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.23 ₱14.42

986.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.99 ₱62.2

713.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$0.99 ₱62.1

810.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.63 ₱103

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.16 ₱72.9

223.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.00 ₱63.3

226.00%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.55 ₱97.5

169.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.65 ₱293

177.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.50 ₱220

304.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.07 ₱445

129.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.46 ₱92.1

196.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.46 ₱28.85

217.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.44 ₱91.0

213.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.02 ₱64.2

325.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.76 ₱111

46.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.74 ₱109

35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.67 ₱41.99

165.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.53 ₱33.46

318.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.89 ₱182

241.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.60 ₱541

75.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.97 ₱61.0

201.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.08 ₱131

66.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.21 ₱13.40

609.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$11.41 ₱718

265.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.81 ₱51.2

237.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.23 ₱14.36

621.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$1.92 ₱121

1738.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.25 ₱78.7

-24.00%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

70.06%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.64%

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

$229 $229

$85.1 ₱5,359

169.02%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.58 ₱1,107

237.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$23.61 ₱1,487

196.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.48 ₱1,982

81.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$4.14 ₱261

294.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.13 ₱323

178.36%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$134 ₱8,442

1023.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.7K ₱675.9K

99.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$28.89 ₱1,819

82.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$19.72 ₱1,242

122.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$72.5 ₱4,565

16.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$55.8 ₱3,515

84.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$242 ₱15.2K

687.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$157 ₱9,895

710.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$475 ₱29.9K

670.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$302 ₱19.0K

741.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,296 ₱144.5K

231.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$886 ₱55.8K

256.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.75

0.59%

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 Cruz, Laguna: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$157 25.1% 87.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$156 24.9% 61.5% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$126 20.2% 64.7% $232

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$52 8.2% 85.4% $302

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$80 12.7% 37.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$42 6.7% 51.3% $44

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 75.8% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $156 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

09:10 9:10 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

123,574

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Santa Cruz, Laguna 13,530 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, Laguna wins on cost – living expenses run 325% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz, Laguna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $940 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna – a 325% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz, Laguna runs roughly 266% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 325% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.