Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Vancouver

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Vancouver: $2,607 and $2,725 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $2,725 in Vancouver.

Austin, TX $2,607
Vancouver $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $4,039 in Vancouver.

Austin, TX $4,031
Vancouver $4,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $5,352 in Vancouver.

Austin, TX $5,454
Vancouver $5,352

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 4% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$17.65 CA$24.80

15.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$72.4 CA$102

16.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$10.84 CA$15.23

11.81%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.91 CA$5.50

44.50%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$2.10 CA$2.95

75.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.64 CA$2.30

43.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$5.74 CA$8.06

37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$6.36 CA$8.94

38.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.21 CA$3.11

-48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.64 CA$3.71

39.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$4.68 CA$6.57

-29.27%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$4.24 CA$5.95

-2.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$11.92 CA$16.75

8.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$13.12 CA$18.44

5.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$20.40 CA$28.66

-19.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.10 CA$5.76

14.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.38 CA$1.94

5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.83 CA$5.38

33.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.92 CA$5.50

15.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.77 CA$3.90

11.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.84 CA$3.98

-16.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.60 CA$3.65

-30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.59 CA$2.24

39.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$15.87 CA$22.29

-37.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.00 CA$19.66

7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.57 CA$3.61

13.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.01 CA$4.24

10.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.55 CA$3.59

-52.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$84.1 CA$118

-51.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.67 CA$3.75

4.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.58 CA$2.23

4.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$32.19 CA$45.23

9.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 CA$2.04

-34.48%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$27.5K CA$38.6K

24.42%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$21.3K CA$30.0K

25.50%

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

$223 $223

$82.5 CA$116

170.40%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$37.46 CA$52.6

56.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$51.7 CA$72.6

37.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$40.52 CA$56.9

30.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$12.69 CA$17.83

31.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$12.66 CA$17.79

11.06%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$1,080 CA$1,517

35.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$20.1K CA$28.3K

5.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$58.5 CA$82.1

-10.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$34.10 CA$47.91

25.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$96.9 CA$136

-10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$97.4 CA$137

6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,813 CA$2,547

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$1,576 CA$2,214

-21.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$3,217 CA$4,519

20.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$2,651 CA$3,725

-9.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$8,590 CA$12.1K

-13.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$6,649 CA$9,342

-53.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$3,733 CA$5,245

38.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.28

59.35%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 28% $345

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 2.2% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 51.3% $181

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 20.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 18.9% $15

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 85.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $72 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $401 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Vancouver 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Vancouver. 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 39% 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $1,080 in Vancouver. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $72 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.