Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Spanish Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Spanish Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,009 in Spanish Town.

Austin, TX $2,689
Spanish Town $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,919 in Spanish Town.

Austin, TX $4,112
Spanish Town $1,919

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $2,828 in Spanish Town.

Austin, TX $5,534
Spanish Town $2,828

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 167% more expensive than in Spanish Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Spanish Town is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$13.70 JMD 2,162

55.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$74.4 JMD 11.7K

18.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$8.18 JMD 1,291

52.08%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$5.37 JMD 847

4.28%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.20 JMD 190

204.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.74 JMD 117

222.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.14 JMD 338

265.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.06 JMD 483

185.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$4.18 JMD 659

-73.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.77 JMD 595

-3.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.56 JMD 246

124.36%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$3.59 JMD 567

23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$11.25 JMD 1,775

17.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$6.31 JMD 996

120.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$10.37 JMD 1,636

58.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$6.08 JMD 959

-22.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$3.99 JMD 629

-62.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$7.50 JMD 1,184

-38.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.02 JMD 476

49.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.22 JMD 508

-20.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.04 JMD 322

17.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.02 JMD 477

-39.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.50 JMD 236

42.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$9.31 JMD 1,469

7.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$11.15 JMD 1,760

33.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.94 JMD 463

-4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.03 JMD 637

-18.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.23 JMD 194

117.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.20 JMD 506

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$6.40 JMD 1,010

450.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 JMD 232

-33.33%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-22.34%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

-18.62%

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

$252 $252

$169 JMD 26.7K

49.13%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$29.68 JMD 4,683

101.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$52.5 JMD 8,276

32.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$13.37 JMD 2,109

2.84%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$355 JMD 56.0K

311.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$8,206 JMD 1.3M

223.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$23.32 JMD 3,679

125.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$31.29 JMD 4,937

46.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$78.3 JMD 12.4K

9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$102 JMD 16.1K

3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$642 JMD 101.3K

522.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$504 JMD 79.5K

377.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$1,182 JMD 186.5K

326.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

9.45

-27.83%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Spanish Town: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Spanish Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Spanish Town

$385 38.1% 5.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Spanish Town

$251 24.9% 34.2% $130

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Spanish Town

$223 22.1% 37.3% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Spanish Town

$106 10.5% 18.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.7% 69.6% $61

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7% 69.8% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $74 in Spanish Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $385 per month, with Spanish Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

131,056

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Spanish Town 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Spanish Town

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 Spanish Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spanish Town wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Spanish Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 4.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $355 in Spanish Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Spanish Town – a meal for two runs $74 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Spanish Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 – Spanish Town wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.