Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santa Teresa

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,546 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,546 in Santa Teresa.

Austin, TX $2,698
Santa Teresa $1,546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,318 in Santa Teresa.

Austin, TX $4,160
Santa Teresa $2,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $3,090 in Santa Teresa.

Austin, TX $5,622
Santa Teresa $3,090

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 74% more expensive than in Santa Teresa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Santa Teresa 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$10.08 ₡4,519

104.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$43.44 ₡19.5K

94.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$9.24 ₡4,144

30.63%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.73 ₡1,673

46.92%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.97 ₡883

92.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.66 ₡745

48.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.00 ₡1,344

168.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.58 ₡2,055

93.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.98 ₡887

-43.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.90 ₡1,301

28.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.21 ₡990

52.49%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.93 ₡1,312

47.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$9.91 ₡4,446

32.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$9.31 ₡4,173

51.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.64 ₡6,116

19.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.61 ₡2,068

-1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.52 ₡681

-3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.23 ₡1,898

11.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.07 ₡1,377

35.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.20 ₡1,437

-19.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.63 ₡1,180

-10.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.04 ₡466

70.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.81 ₡1,258

-23.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.08 ₡2,277

98.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$14.20 ₡6,368

6.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.36 ₡1,058

19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.56 ₡1,149

34.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.00 ₡449

54.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.81 ₡810

54.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.87 ₡837

-14.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$8.00 ₡3,589

329.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.45 ₡652

-35.17%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$37.2K ₡16.7M

-8.58%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$32.8K ₡14.7M

-18.39%

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

$223 $223

$84.7 ₡38.0K

163.02%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$26.18 ₡11.7K

124.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$49.65 ₡22.3K

42.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$50.6 ₡22.7K

14.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$23.98 ₡10.8K

-31.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$8.87 ₡3,976

60.77%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$573 ₡256.9K

163.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$12.6K ₡5.6M

66.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$62.9 ₡28.2K

-18.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$51.1 ₡22.9K

-13.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$127 ₡56.9K

-31.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$107 ₡47.9K

-2.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$700 ₡314.1K

177.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$605 ₡271.4K

117.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,462 ₡655.5K

150.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$970 ₡435.0K

164.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.17

-33.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1% 54% $711

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6% 14% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4% 54.4% $192

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4% 45.2% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1% 21.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4% 20.7% $18

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1% 73.9% $43

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $700 in Santa Teresa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $43.00 in Santa Teresa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $349 per month, with Santa Teresa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

09:33 9:33 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,099

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Austin, TX Santa Teresa 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santa Teresa

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 Teresa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Teresa wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Teresa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $2,319 in Santa Teresa 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $700 in Santa Teresa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $573 in Santa Teresa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Teresa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,546 in Santa Teresa versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Teresa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Teresa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Teresa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,546 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Teresa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Santa Teresa 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 Teresa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.