Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Name: Santo Domingo
Address: Santo Domingo, EC

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $717 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Santo Domingo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $717 in Santo Domingo.

Austin, TX $2,689
Santo Domingo $717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,187 in Santo Domingo.

Austin, TX $4,112
Santo Domingo $1,187

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $1,658 in Santo Domingo.

Austin, TX $5,534
Santo Domingo $1,658

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 275% more expensive than in Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Santo Domingo is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$3.93 $3.93

443.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$49.94 $49.94

75.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$8.88 $8.88

40.09%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$1.99 $1.99

181.41%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$0.91 $0.91

301.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.64 $0.64

273.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.03 $2.03

285.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$4.31 $4.31

103.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.97 $0.97

15.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.02 $2.02

79.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.29 $1.29

171.32%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$1.98 $1.98

124.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$4.29 $4.29

207.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$2.95 $2.95

372.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$3.48 $3.48

372.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.47 $1.47

221.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.99 $0.99

51.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$0.97 $0.97

378.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$0.98 $0.98

361.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.97 $0.97

162.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.94 $0.94

154.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.87 $0.87

111.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.95 $0.95

124.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.98 $5.98

68.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$4.88 $4.88

204.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.56 $1.56

80.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.15 $2.15

53.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.37 $0.37

232.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.77 $2.77

-3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.52 $1.52

7.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$11.79 $11.79

198.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.81 $0.81

20.99%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$23.2K $23.2K

48.13%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$30.4K $30.4K

-11.71%

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

$252 $252

$33.67 $33.67

649.12%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$9.85 $9.85

507.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$23.37 $23.37

198.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$34.36 $34.36

75.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$17.41 $17.41

4.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$7.56 $7.56

81.88%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$376 $376

287.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$9,289 $9,289

186.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$19.80 $19.80

165.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$29.96 $29.96

52.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$51.0 $51.0

67.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$49.65 $49.65

113.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$429 $429

411.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$269 $269

371.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$822 $822

386.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$511 $511

371.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$10.0K $10.0K

-70.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$406 $406

1141.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.05

-32.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Santo Domingo

$269 37.6% 78.8% $999

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Santo Domingo

$145 20.2% 64.5% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3% 82.5% $315

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Santo Domingo

$107 14.9% 70% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4% 48.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Santo Domingo

$49 6.9% 43.7% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Santo Domingo

$12 * 1.7% 79.3% $45

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 $2,195 in Austin, TX and $429 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $50 in Santo Domingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $145 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

270,875

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Santo Domingo 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santo Domingo

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 Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santo Domingo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 12 times higher, 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: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $429 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $376 in Santo Domingo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Domingo – a meal for two runs $50 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $717 in Santo Domingo versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Santo Domingo wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.