Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,098 in Toluca.

Austin, TX $2,698
Toluca $1,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,844 in Toluca.

Austin, TX $4,160
Toluca $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,589 in Toluca.

Austin, TX $5,622
Toluca $2,589

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 146% more expensive than in Toluca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Toluca is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$11.03 MX$204

87.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$42.85 MX$792

97.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$9.09 MX$168

32.78%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.14 MX$58.0

74.52%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.26 MX$23.24

201.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.76 MX$13.97

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.14 MX$39.49

276.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.29 MX$60.8

169.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.77 MX$32.71

-37.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.12 MX$57.7

19.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.18 MX$40.28

54.59%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.05 MX$56.3

41.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.94 MX$147

65.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$8.36 MX$155

69.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.91 MX$165

83.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.08 MX$75.3

11.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.11 MX$39.00

-30.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.22 MX$41.07

112.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.28 MX$42.16

82.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.82 MX$52.2

-8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.30 MX$42.58

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.64 MX$30.26

7.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.03 MX$19.07

107.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.87 MX$90.0

107.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$12.25 MX$226

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.99 MX$36.76

41.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.65 MX$67.5

-5.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.75 MX$13.92

105.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.20 MX$59.0

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.01 MX$37.22

-20.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$10.17 MX$188

237.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.44 MX$26.66

-34.72%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$24.6K MX$454.6K

38.13%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.5K MX$433.9K

13.98%

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

$223 $223

$58.1 MX$1,074

283.15%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$25.04 MX$463

135.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$31.71 MX$586

122.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$48.08 MX$889

20.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$22.66 MX$419

-27.05%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.95 MX$128

105.18%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$224 MX$4,131

575.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$5,244 MX$96.9K

298.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$66.7 MX$1,233

-23.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$53.7 MX$992

-17.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$104 MX$1,920

-16.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$104 MX$1,923

0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$705 MX$13.0K

175.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$289 MX$5,345

355.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$972 MX$18.0K

276.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$703 MX$13.0K

265.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,296 MX$24.0K

467.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$915 MX$16.9K

241.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$1,273 MX$23.5K

315.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.07

-38.66%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Toluca

$289 26.3% 78% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Toluca

$289 26.4% 28.7% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Toluca

$115 10.5% 67.4% $237

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Toluca

$178 16.3% 49% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Toluca

$148 13.5% 14.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Toluca

$62 5.7% 28.1% $24

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Toluca

$16 * 1.5% 71.9% $42

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $705 in Toluca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 315% 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 $43.00 in Toluca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $289 per month, with Toluca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Toluca

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

223,876

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Toluca 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Toluca

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toluca wins on cost – living expenses run 146% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Toluca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 315% 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 $705 in Toluca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $224 in Toluca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Toluca – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,098 in Toluca versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca 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 Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.