Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,122 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,122

/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: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,122 in Santo Domingo.

Austin, TX $2,704
Santo Domingo $1,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,761 in Santo Domingo.

Austin, TX $4,133
Santo Domingo $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,401 in Santo Domingo.

Austin, TX $5,562
Santo Domingo $2,401

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 141% more expensive than in Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Santo Domingo is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.19 DOP 622

98.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$50.5 DOP 3,082

68.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.79 DOP 475

58.54%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.23 DOP 136

145.29%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.02 DOP 62.5

274.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.54 DOP 33.14

362.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.55 DOP 156

216.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.30 DOP 201

172.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.33 DOP 81.1

-15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.50 DOP 91.5

152.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.63 DOP 99.3

99.39%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.36 DOP 144

75.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.40 DOP 451

76.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.59 DOP 341

155.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$6.71 DOP 409

137.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.19 DOP 194

37.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.85 DOP 51.8

70.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.76 DOP 168

64.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.86 DOP 114

125.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.07 DOP 127

27.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.25 DOP 137

4.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.03 DOP 63.1

70.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.97 DOP 59.0

122.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.19 DOP 317

89.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.24 DOP 625

43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.53 DOP 154

9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.97 DOP 181

17.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.60 DOP 36.59

148.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$18.04 DOP 1,101

124.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.36 DOP 205

-20.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.21 DOP 135

-28.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$5.71 DOP 348

518.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.43 DOP 87.4

-30.77%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$23.4K DOP 1.4M

53.18%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.2K DOP 2.1M

-20.43%

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

$219 $219

$93.8 DOP 5,720

133.84%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$31.81 DOP 1,940

82.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$37.01 DOP 2,258

84.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$29.96 DOP 1,828

93.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$24.22 DOP 1,477

-38.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.30 DOP 445

93.56%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$256 DOP 15.6K

490.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,297 DOP 445.1K

194.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$45.66 DOP 2,785

13.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$46.81 DOP 2,855

-5.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$88.1 DOP 5,373

-3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$126 DOP 7,691

-16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$712 DOP 43.4K

171.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$348 DOP 21.2K

265.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,451 DOP 88.5K

152.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$622 DOP 38.0K

305.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,205 DOP 134.5K

245.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,203 DOP 73.4K

165.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$590 DOP 36.0K

765.25%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Santo Domingo

$348 31.5% 72.6% $924

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Santo Domingo

$221 20% 45% $181

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2% 54.8% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Santo Domingo

$163 14.7% 53% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Santo Domingo

$138 12.5% 7.2% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Santo Domingo

$45 4% 48.3% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Santo Domingo

$35 3.2% 38.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 765% 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 $51.0 in Santo Domingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $221 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

22:54 10:54 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 61 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

DOP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Santo Domingo 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min 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 141% 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 runs 765% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,122 in Santo Domingo – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santo Domingo runs roughly 125% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,122 in Santo Domingo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 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.

Expats usually find Santo Domingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.