Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sault Ste. Marie

For one person, living is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie: $2,059 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Austin, TX $2,698
Sault Ste. Marie $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,008 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Austin, TX $4,160
Sault Ste. Marie $3,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $3,956 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Austin, TX $5,622
Sault Ste. Marie $3,956

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 31% more expensive than in Sault Ste. Marie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Sault Ste. Marie 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$17.17 CA$24.28

20.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$70.6 CA$99.8

19.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.23 CA$14.46

17.99%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.47 CA$4.90

57.93%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.64 CA$2.32

131.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.35 CA$1.91

82.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.68 CA$6.62

72.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$5.00 CA$7.07

77.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.42 CA$3.43

-54.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.14 CA$3.02

73.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.27 CA$4.63

3.06%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.98 CA$4.22

44.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$8.32 CA$11.76

57.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$9.97 CA$14.10

41.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.51 CA$14.86

55.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.14 CA$4.43

44.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.99 CA$1.40

47.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.06 CA$4.33

53.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.54 CA$5.01

17.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.97 CA$2.79

30.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.69 CA$2.39

39.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.77 CA$3.92

-36.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.27 CA$1.79

68.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$15.75 CA$22.26

-35.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.67 CA$15.08

42.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.84 CA$2.60

53.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.28 CA$3.23

50.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.24 CA$3.16

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$57.5 CA$81.2

-28.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.47 CA$4.91

-19.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.31 CA$3.26

-30.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$22.97 CA$32.47

49.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.08 CA$1.52

-12.96%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$26.5K CA$37.5K

28.27%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

32.08%

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

$223 $223

$174 CA$246

27.78%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$44.36 CA$62.7

32.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$76.7 CA$108

-7.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$50.3 CA$71.0

14.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$17.62 CA$24.90

-6.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.18 CA$15.80

27.55%

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

$1,511 $1,511

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$4,984 CA$7,046

319.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$45.63 CA$64.5

12.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$35.58 CA$50.3

24.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$74.8 CA$106

16.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$120 CA$170

-13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$893 CA$1,262

117.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$931 CA$1,316

41.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,325 CA$1,873

176.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,455 CA$2,057

76.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,868 CA$2,640

293.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$5,432 CA$7,679

-42.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$3,049 CA$4,310

73.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.53

22.78%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2% 29.3% $385

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5% 26.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3% 16.1% $57

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4% 27.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6% 3.7% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5% 15.8% $14

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4% 40.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 73% 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 $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $299 per month, with Sault Ste. Marie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

73,368

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Sault Ste. Marie 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sault Ste. Marie wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sault Ste. Marie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 73% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Sault Ste. Marie runs roughly 40% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sault Ste. Marie but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.