Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,226 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,226 in Tulum.

Austin, TX $2,689
Tulum $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $2,058 in Tulum.

Austin, TX $4,112
Tulum $2,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $2,891 in Tulum.

Austin, TX $5,534
Tulum $2,891

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 119% more expensive than in Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Tulum is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$8.14 MX$151

162.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$54.4 MX$1,009

61.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$7.89 MX$146

57.67%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.73 MX$69.1

50.13%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.12 MX$20.77

225.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.09 MX$20.22

119.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.99 MX$55.6

161.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.68 MX$68.3

137.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 MX$29.43

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.00 MX$37.18

81.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.76 MX$32.74

98.86%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$1.84 MX$34.20

141.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$5.48 MX$102

140.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$7.52 MX$140

85.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$8.90 MX$165

84.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.54 MX$47.15

86.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.42 MX$26.29

5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.43 MX$26.59

224.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.47 MX$27.27

207.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.28 MX$42.39

11.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.71 MX$31.69

39.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.45 MX$26.91

26.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.87 MX$16.05

144.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.46 MX$82.8

125.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$8.28 MX$154

79.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.29 MX$24.03

118.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.26 MX$23.30

161.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.31 MX$24.40

-6.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.77 MX$51.3

-3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.42 MX$44.85

-32.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$5.22 MX$97.0

574.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 MX$27.29

-33.33%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$20.8K MX$385.9K

65.35%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.1K MX$428.3K

16.19%

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

$252 $252

$105 MX$1,949

140.17%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$15.92 MX$295

275.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$28.26 MX$524

146.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$33.25 MX$617

81.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$6.59 MX$122

108.65%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$263 MX$4,889

453.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$2,922 MX$54.2K

809.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$39.86 MX$740

32.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$31.81 MX$590

43.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$94.6 MX$1,756

-9.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$57.1 MX$1,059

85.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$614 MX$11.4K

257.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$528 MX$9,793

140.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$1,497 MX$27.8K

167.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$1,267 MX$23.5K

89.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$3,103 MX$57.6K

137.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,729 MX$32.1K

71.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$763 MX$14.2K

560.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.8

-36.85%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tulum: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Tulum

$528 43% 58.4% $741

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Tulum

$217 17.7% 46.6% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Tulum

$149 12.2% 60.9% $233

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Tulum

$165 13.4% 53.8% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Tulum

$101 8.2% 22.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Tulum

$46 3.8% 47.2% $41

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Tulum

$20 * 1.6% 64.8% $37

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 $614 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $54 in Tulum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $217 per month, with Tulum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

46,721

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Tulum 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulum wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tulum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 6.6 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 $614 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $263 in Tulum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulum – a meal for two runs $54 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tulum is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Tulum 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 – Tulum wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.