Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este: $643 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 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 Santo Domingo Este
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Santo Domingo Este Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo Este

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $643 in Santo Domingo Este.

Austin, TX $2,663
Santo Domingo Este $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,043 in Santo Domingo Este.

Austin, TX $4,133
Santo Domingo Este $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,442 in Santo Domingo Este.

Austin, TX $5,603
Santo Domingo Este $1,442

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 314% more expensive than in Santo Domingo Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Santo Domingo Este is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.06 DOP 310

310.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$40.96 DOP 2,509

106.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.51 DOP 399

89.25%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.00 DOP 61.3

463.00%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.04 DOP 63.8

257.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.60 DOP 36.58

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.41 DOP 147

234.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.14 DOP 193

186.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 DOP 81.9

-16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.47 DOP 90.0

155.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.59 DOP 97.5

105.03%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.29 DOP 141

82.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.20 DOP 441

79.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.68 DOP 348

149.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.70 DOP 411

142.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.08 DOP 189

40.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.84 DOP 51.4

73.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.72 DOP 167

65.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.87 DOP 115

132.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.97 DOP 121

30.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.23 DOP 137

5.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.02 DOP 62.7

74.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.95 DOP 58.3

133.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.35 DOP 328

84.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.36 DOP 635

45.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.60 DOP 159

12.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.96 DOP 182

16.89%

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

$3.28 DOP 201

-16.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.20 DOP 135

-24.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.66 DOP 346

523.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 DOP 79.3

-26.36%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.9K DOP 1.4M

57.56%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.8K DOP 2.1M

-19.93%

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

$229 $229

$93.6 DOP 5,735

144.60%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$32.04 DOP 1,963

85.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$35.97 DOP 2,204

94.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.49 DOP 459

90.65%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$251 DOP 15.4K

498.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,405 DOP 453.6K

189.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$45.98 DOP 2,817

14.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$45.49 DOP 2,787

-3.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$87.4 DOP 5,356

-3.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$121 DOP 7,425

-15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$593 DOP 36.3K

764.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.56

-49.93%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Santo Domingo Este

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Santo Domingo Este

$220 34.2% 45.6% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Santo Domingo Este

$162 25.1% 54.9% $197

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Santo Domingo Este

$97 15.1% 72.6% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Santo Domingo Este

$135 21% 5.5% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Santo Domingo Este

$15 * 2.3% 82.5% $71

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.2% 75.7% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays 764% 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 $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $220 per month, with Santo Domingo Este cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo Este

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,000,230

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

DOP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Santo Domingo Este 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santo Domingo Este

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 Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo Este wins on cost – living expenses run 314% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santo Domingo Este the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 764% 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.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $251 in Santo Domingo Este. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $643 in Santo Domingo Este versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo Este but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo Este 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 Santo Domingo Este gentler on the wallet – expenses run 314% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.