Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Santos: $1,132 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,132 in Santos.

Austin, TX $2,704
Santos $1,132

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,745 in Santos.

Austin, TX $4,133
Santos $1,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,359 in Santos.

Austin, TX $5,562
Santos $2,359

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 139% more expensive than in Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.80 R$38.94

159.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$32.51 R$162

161.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.91 R$34.48

78.73%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.78 R$13.86

96.76%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.41 R$7.05

170.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.01 R$5.03

147.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.64 R$13.17

205.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.96 R$14.80

203.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.08 R$5.38

4.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.85 R$9.22

104.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.38 R$6.91

135.51%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.52 R$12.56

64.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$12.16 R$60.7

7.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.91 R$24.49

191.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.06 R$50.2

58.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.12 R$10.60

106.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.26 R$6.27

15.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.98 R$9.89

129.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.81 R$9.01

131.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.32 R$6.59

99.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.30 R$6.49

81.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.21 R$6.03

45.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.91 R$4.55

137.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.43 R$12.11

303.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.18 R$40.85

79.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.39 R$6.95

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.90 R$9.49

83.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.12 R$5.59

33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$50.4 R$252

-19.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.51 R$7.56

76.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.62 R$8.10

-2.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$18.35 R$91.6

92.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.27 R$6.32

-22.05%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$23.9K R$119.1K

50.03%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.1K R$165.2K

-17.86%

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

$219 $219

$104 R$518

111.28%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$12.45 R$62.1

365.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$22.68 R$113

201.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$29.14 R$145

98.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$56.9 R$284

-73.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$9.03 R$45.06

56.48%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$277 R$1,385

443.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.4K R$51.9K

106.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$56.1 R$280

-7.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$36.85 R$184

19.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$97.5 R$486

-12.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$60.1 R$300

75.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$536 R$2,677

260.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$422 R$2,106

201.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$988 R$4,933

271.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$710 R$3,547

255.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,477 R$12.4K

207.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,794 R$8,955

78.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$585 R$2,922

772.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

12.79

-46.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santos: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Santos

$422 36.7% 66.8% $850

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Santos

$221 19.2% 45.2% $182

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Santos

$145 12.6% 58.3% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Santos

$139 12.1% 59.8% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Santos

$113 9.8% 12.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Santos

$47 4.1% 45.2% $39

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Santos

$65 5.6% 13.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $536 in Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 772% 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 $33.00 in Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $221 per month, with Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇷 Santos

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

418,608

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Santos 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santos

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 Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 139% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 772% 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 $536 in Santos. 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 $1,132 in Santos – a 139% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santos runs roughly 24% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,132 in Santos versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santos but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santos 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 Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.