Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Thompson

For one person, living is cheaper in Thompson: $1,815 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,815 in Thompson.

Austin, TX $2,689
Thompson $1,815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $2,759 in Thompson.

Austin, TX $4,112
Thompson $2,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $3,702 in Thompson.

Austin, TX $5,534
Thompson $3,702

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 48% more expensive than in Thompson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Thompson 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$17.67 CA$24.67

20.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$66.6 CA$92.9

32.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$10.59 CA$14.78

17.47%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.72 CA$5.20

50.54%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$2.08 CA$2.90

75.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.62 CA$2.26

47.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$5.26 CA$7.34

48.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$5.63 CA$7.86

55.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.14 CA$2.98

-47.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.58 CA$3.60

40.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.45 CA$4.81

1.45%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$3.44 CA$4.81

29.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$10.36 CA$14.46

27.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$11.89 CA$16.60

17.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$14.91 CA$20.81

10.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.89 CA$5.43

21.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.20 CA$1.67

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$3.81 CA$5.32

21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.41 CA$4.77

32.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.33 CA$3.25

9.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.26 CA$3.15

5.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.36 CA$3.30

-22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.61 CA$2.24

32.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$14.36 CA$20.05

-30.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$13.03 CA$18.19

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.84 CA$3.97

-0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.20 CA$4.47

2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.10 CA$2.93

-41.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

$69.1 CA$96.4

-40.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.86 CA$3.99

-6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.55 CA$2.16

5.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$25.53 CA$35.63

37.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.14 CA$1.60

-14.04%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$27.5K CA$38.4K

25.04%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.9K CA$33.3K

12.30%

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

$252 $252

$137 CA$191

84.07%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$38.42 CA$53.6

55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$56.0 CA$78.1

24.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$38.09 CA$53.2

58.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$16.69 CA$23.29

8.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$10.88 CA$15.19

26.38%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$595 CA$830

145.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$14.9K CA$20.8K

78.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$56.3 CA$78.6

-6.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$39.32 CA$54.9

16.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$87.1 CA$122

-1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$105 CA$147

0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$682 CA$952

221.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$680 CA$949

86.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$1,120 CA$1,563

257.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$1,136 CA$1,586

111.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$4,045 CA$5,647

82.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$3,927 CA$5,481

-24.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$1,598 CA$2,230

215.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.68

45.73%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Thompson: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Thompson

$680 37.5% 46.4% $589

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Thompson

$356 19.6% 12.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Thompson

$231 12.8% 39.4% $150

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Thompson

$270 14.9% 24.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Thompson

$129 7.1% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Thompson

$60 3.3% 31.9% $28

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Thompson

$88 4.9% 54% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $682 in Thompson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $67 in Thompson for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $356 per month, with Thompson cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Thompson

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

12,829

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Thompson 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Thompson

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 Thompson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thompson wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Thompson the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $682 in Thompson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,689 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,815 in Thompson – Thompson is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 40% less than in Thompson. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,815 in Thompson versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Thompson but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Thompson the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thompson is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Austin, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Thompson wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.