Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and St. Albert, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,167 in St. Albert, AB.

Austin, TX $2,663
St. Albert, AB $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,457 in St. Albert, AB.

Austin, TX $4,133
St. Albert, AB $2,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,747 in St. Albert, AB.

Austin, TX $5,603
St. Albert, AB $3,747

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 128% more expensive than in St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, St. Albert, AB is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$19.29 CA$27.42

7.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$69.2 CA$98.4

22.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.90 CA$14.08

24.44%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.81 CA$5.41

47.77%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.05 CA$2.92

81.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.00 CA$2.84

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.03 CA$7.14

60.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.64 CA$8.01

59.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.68 CA$2.39

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.18 CA$3.09

72.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.04 CA$4.32

7.24%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.46 CA$4.91

20.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.42 CA$16.23

12.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.34 CA$16.12

24.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$18.19 CA$25.85

-10.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.22 CA$5.99

2.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.39 CA$1.97

5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.29 CA$6.09

5.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.96 CA$5.62

9.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.63 CA$3.74

-1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.64 CA$3.75

-10.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.57 CA$3.66

-30.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.56 CA$2.21

42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.93 CA$19.80

-29.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.72 CA$16.66

28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.43 CA$3.45

20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.82 CA$4.01

22.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.03 CA$2.89

-26.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$60.6 CA$86.1

-31.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.93 CA$4.16

-6.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.36 CA$1.94

22.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$20.90 CA$29.70

68.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.10 CA$1.57

-13.64%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.3K CA$38.8K

32.17%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.5K CA$27.7K

39.09%

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

$229 $229

$160 CA$228

42.88%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$38.86 CA$55.2

52.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$52.6 CA$74.8

32.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$40.02 CA$56.9

43.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.66 CA$17.99

12.80%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$748 CA$1,062

101.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,306 CA$13.2K

130.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$55.7 CA$79.2

-5.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$39.02 CA$55.5

12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$83.3 CA$118

1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$110 CA$157

-6.63%

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

$1,334 CA$1,896

174.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,124 CA$1,597

125.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,488 CA$3,536

206.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,492 CA$3,542

26.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,157 CA$4,486

62.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.51

50.55%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

St. Albert, AB

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8% 11.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6% 29.7% $107

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2% 20.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6% 23.8% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7% 33.6% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays 62% 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 $69.0 in St. Albert, AB for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $360 per month, with St. Albert, AB cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

68,232

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX St. Albert, AB 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Albert, AB wins on cost – living expenses run 128% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making St. Albert, AB the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 62% 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.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,167 in St. Albert, AB – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in St. Albert, AB runs roughly 45% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,167 in St. Albert, AB versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in St. Albert, AB but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes St. Albert, AB 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 St. Albert, AB gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.