Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $738 in Zacatecas.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zacatecas $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,170 in Zacatecas.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zacatecas $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,602 in Zacatecas.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zacatecas $1,602

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 261% more expensive than in Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zacatecas is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.12 MX$113

239.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$31.70 MX$586

166.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.50 MX$139

64.27%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.96 MX$54.7

90.20%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.21 MX$22.31

207.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.72 MX$13.31

247.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.86 MX$34.45

332.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.08 MX$75.4

120.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.37 MX$25.41

-18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.21 MX$40.91

69.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.54 MX$28.52

111.69%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.29 MX$42.31

82.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.32 MX$135

76.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.12 MX$113

131.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.25 MX$171

75.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.75 MX$32.31

147.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.66 MX$30.63

-12.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.02 MX$37.30

123.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.46 MX$27.05

197.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.00 MX$36.98

29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.76 MX$32.50

33.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.52 MX$28.04

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.84 MX$15.60

164.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.29 MX$79.4

130.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.67 MX$197

41.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.67 MX$30.90

74.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.38 MX$62.5

2.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.53 MX$9.88

181.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$16.52 MX$305

152.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.21 MX$40.77

23.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.08 MX$19.91

53.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$12.28 MX$227

187.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 MX$26.79

-34.48%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.1K MX$390.6K

70.56%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.5K MX$452.6K

10.54%

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

$229 $229

$23.16 MX$428

888.73%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.38 MX$155

608.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$25.17 MX$465

177.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$25.02 MX$462

128.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.17 MX$151

99.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.39 MX$81.1

225.28%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$256 MX$4,736

487.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,234 MX$59.8K

563.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$45.26 MX$836

16.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$40.19 MX$743

9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$91.6 MX$1,692

-7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$43.08 MX$796

139.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$242 MX$4,467

689.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$162 MX$2,994

686.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$383 MX$7,074

857.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$249 MX$4,606

918.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$571 MX$10.5K

453.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$407 MX$7,527

1157.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.8

-37.13%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zacatecas

$162 22% 87.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zacatecas

$228 30.9% 43.7% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zacatecas

$57 7.7% 84.2% $302

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zacatecas

$132 17.9% 62.6% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zacatecas

$99 13.4% 22.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zacatecas

$34 4.6% 60.6% $52

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zacatecas

$26 3.6% 55.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $242 in Zacatecas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1157% 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 $32.00 in Zacatecas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $228 per month, with Zacatecas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

138,444

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zacatecas 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zacatecas

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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacatecas wins on cost – living expenses run 261% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zacatecas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1157% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $242 in Zacatecas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $738 in Zacatecas – a 261% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zacatecas runs roughly 153% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $738 in Zacatecas versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Zacatecas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 261% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.