Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and St.Catharines

For one person, living is cheaper in St.Catharines: $2,309 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
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St.Catharines Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,309 in St.Catharines.

Austin, TX $2,698
St.Catharines $2,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,210 in St.Catharines.

Austin, TX $4,160
St.Catharines $3,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,111 in St.Catharines.

Austin, TX $5,622
St.Catharines $4,111

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 17% more expensive than in St.Catharines, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, St.Catharines 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$14.32 CA$20.24

44.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$57.6 CA$81.5

46.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$12.63 CA$17.86

-4.43%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.03 CA$4.29

80.86%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.65 CA$2.34

130.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.60 CA$2.27

54.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.65 CA$6.58

73.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.61 CA$6.52

92.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.09 CA$2.96

-46.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.18 CA$3.08

70.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.60 CA$6.50

-26.74%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.28 CA$6.06

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$14.90 CA$21.06

-11.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$11.22 CA$15.86

26.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.04 CA$19.85

16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$5.19 CA$7.34

-12.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.11 CA$1.57

31.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.36 CA$6.17

8.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.14 CA$5.85

0.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.82 CA$3.99

-8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$4.39 CA$6.20

-46.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.60 CA$3.67

-31.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.29 CA$1.83

65.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$13.73 CA$19.41

-26.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$12.65 CA$17.88

20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.00 CA$4.24

-6.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.02 CA$4.28

13.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.46 CA$3.48

-37.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$70.9 CA$100

-42.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.88 CA$4.07

-2.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.22 CA$3.14

-27.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$22.28 CA$31.50

54.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.15 CA$1.63

-18.26%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$26.4K CA$37.4K

28.61%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$22.0K CA$31.1K

21.75%

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

$223 $223

$178 CA$251

25.16%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$33.39 CA$47.21

76.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$47.75 CA$67.5

47.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$31.41 CA$44.41

83.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$41.10 CA$58.1

-59.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.04 CA$15.60

29.17%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$504 CA$713

199.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-24.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$73.6 CA$104

-30.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$52.2 CA$73.8

-15.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$80.1 CA$113

8.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$76.7 CA$108

36.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,210 CA$1,710

60.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,159 CA$1,638

13.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,707 CA$2,413

114.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,557 CA$2,201

64.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,026 CA$4,277

143.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,705 CA$3,824

15.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$2,969 CA$4,198

78.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.71

18.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2% 12% $157

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

St.Catharines

$381 16.5% 6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

St.Catharines

$259 11.2% 26.4% $93

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

St.Catharines

$234 10.2% 33.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

St.Catharines

$127 5.5% 1.4% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

St.Catharines

$53 2.3% 38% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

St.Catharines

$95 4.1% 63.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,210 in St.Catharines. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 78% 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 $58.0 in St.Catharines for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $381 per month, with St.Catharines cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

133,113

💱 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 St.Catharines 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
St.Catharines

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.Catharines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St.Catharines wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making St.Catharines the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 78% 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 $1,210 in St.Catharines. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,309 in St.Catharines – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in St.Catharines runs roughly 73% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,309 in St.Catharines versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in St.Catharines but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes St.Catharines 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.Catharines gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.