Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
Learn more

Tena Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Tena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $891 in Tena.

Austin, TX $2,689
Tena $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,475 in Tena.

Austin, TX $4,112
Tena $1,475

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $2,060 in Tena.

Austin, TX $5,534
Tena $2,060

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 202% more expensive than in Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Tena is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$5.63 $5.63

279.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$54.8 $54.8

60.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$7.58 $7.58

64.12%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.34 $3.34

67.66%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.43 $1.43

155.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.05 $1.05

127.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.43 $3.43

127.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$6.12 $6.12

42.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.14 $1.14

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.60 $1.60

126.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.51 $1.51

131.79%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$2.08 $2.08

113.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$6.51 $6.51

102.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$5.42 $5.42

157.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$7.67 $7.67

114.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.33 $2.33

103.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.22 $1.22

22.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.27 $1.27

265.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.13 $1.13

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.19 $1.19

114.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.08 $1.08

121.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.87 $0.87

111.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.00 $1.00

113.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.93 $5.93

69.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$8.27 $8.27

79.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.58 $1.58

78.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.10 $3.10

6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.33 $0.33

272.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.53 $1.53

75.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$0.75 $0.75

117.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$9.91 $9.91

255.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.86 $0.86

13.95%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$23.4K $23.4K

47.03%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$30.1K $30.1K

-10.90%

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

$252 $252

$28.50 $28.50

785.02%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$17.84 $17.84

235.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$28.34 $28.34

145.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$29.89 $29.89

101.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$16.69 $16.69

8.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$6.50 $6.50

111.54%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$729 $729

100.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$9,064 $9,064

193.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$71.3 $71.3

-26.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$50.4 $50.4

-9.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$116 $116

-26.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$109 $109

-3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$422 $422

419.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$270 $270

369.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$802 $802

398.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$507 $507

374.89%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.12

-32.61%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Tena

$270 30.4% 78.7% $998

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Tena

$193 21.7% 52.6% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Tena

$75 8.4% 80.4% $307

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Tena

$147 16.5% 58.7% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Tena

$156 17.5% 19.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Tena

$43 4.8% 51.2% $45

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7% 88.4% $51

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 $2,195 in Austin, TX and $422 in Tena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $55 in Tena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $193 per month, with Tena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

21:12 9:12 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

16,669

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Tena 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tena wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,034 in Austin, TX and $1,336 in Tena to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $422 in Tena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $729 in Tena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tena – a meal for two runs $55 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $891 in Tena versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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.