Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and St Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
213

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $4,408 in St Thomas.

Austin, TX $2,663
St Thomas $4,408

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $7,220 in St Thomas.

Austin, TX $4,133
St Thomas $7,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $10.0K in St Thomas.

Austin, TX $5,603
St Thomas $10.0K

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 40% less than in St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, St Thomas 227% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$22.30 $22.30

-6.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$170 $170

-50.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$13.55 $13.55

-9.08%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.90 $5.90

-4.58%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.95 $3.95

-5.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.39 $3.39

-26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.12 $5.12

57.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.81 $6.81

32.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.88 $2.88

-61.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$6.67 $6.67

-43.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$18.54 $18.54

-82.42%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$8.87 $8.87

-52.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.12 $11.12

16.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$28.44 $28.44

-50.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$39.72 $39.72

-59.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$11.91 $11.91

-63.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$10.89 $10.89

-86.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$12.30 $12.30

-63.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$19.99 $19.99

-78.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.95 $1.95

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$8.76 $8.76

-73.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$8.18 $8.18

-78.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$5.39 $5.39

-58.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$24.57 $24.57

-38.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$6.18 $6.18

-44.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.98 $1.98

-24.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$60.7 $60.7

-31.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$19.61 $19.61

-86.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.08 $3.08

-46.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.39 $1.39

-31.65%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$55.2K $55.2K

-34.67%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$49.0K $49.0K

-44.73%

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

$229 $229

$451 $451

-49.20%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$100 $100

-40.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$151 $151

-53.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$164 $164

-65.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.04 $10.04

42.23%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,487 $1,487

1.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.9K $21.9K

-1.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$113 $113

-53.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$148 $148

-70.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$202 $202

-58.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$151 $151

-31.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,586 $1,586

20.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,827 $1,827

-30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$3,187 $3,187

14.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$4,229 $4,229

-39.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,896 $4,896

55.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$10.9K $10.9K

-71.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,726 $2,726

87.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.45

-28.15%

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 Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.5% 43.4% $553

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

St Thomas

$956 * 21.7% 136% $552

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

St Thomas

$702 15.9% 96% $344

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

St Thomas

$358 8.1% 1.3% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

St Thomas

$276 6.3% 116% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

St Thomas

$184 4.2% 115% $98

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

St Thomas

$104 2.4% 76.5% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,586 in St Thomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 88% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $170 in St Thomas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $956 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

20,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX St Thomas 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
St Thomas

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 Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in St Thomas. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 88% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,586 in St Thomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $4,408 in St Thomas – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in St Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.