Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $748 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $748 in Zamboanga.

Austin, TX $2,698
Zamboanga $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,123 in Zamboanga.

Austin, TX $4,160
Zamboanga $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,497 in Zamboanga.

Austin, TX $5,622
Zamboanga $1,497

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 260% more expensive than in Zamboanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Zamboanga is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$1.33 ₱83.5

1451.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$16.41 ₱1,033

415.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$3.50 ₱220

244.86%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.09 ₱132

162.20%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.86 ₱54.0

341.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.40 ₱24.88

517.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.44 ₱90.8

459.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.05 ₱129

333.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.75 ₱110

-36.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.41 ₱89.0

163.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.16 ₱73.0

190.52%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.46 ₱91.7

195.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.01 ₱630

31.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$4.05 ₱255

249.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$3.33 ₱209

390.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.17 ₱200

43.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.18 ₱74.1

23.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.82 ₱241

23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.16 ₱73.1

257.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.26 ₱79.6

104.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.56 ₱161

-8.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.86 ₱54.4

105.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.51 ₱32.39

319.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.74 ₱172

268.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$4.23 ₱266

259.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.30 ₱82.1

116.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.97 ₱124

74.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.22 ₱13.88

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$11.19 ₱704

266.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.82 ₱51.9

241.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.23 ₱14.50

595.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$1.88 ₱118

1726.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.02 ₱64.4

-7.84%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

56.31%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

37.73%

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

$223 $223

$124 ₱7,826

79.12%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$15.48 ₱975

280.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$47.25 ₱2,975

49.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$35.74 ₱2,250

61.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$4.67 ₱294

253.96%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.07 ₱319

181.26%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$133 ₱8,372

1036.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$8,082 ₱508.9K

158.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$32.93 ₱2,073

55.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$19.29 ₱1,215

128.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$70.8 ₱4,457

22.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$55.7 ₱3,505

87.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$266 ₱16.8K

628.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$175 ₱11.0K

653.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$332 ₱20.9K

1003.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$360 ₱22.6K

613.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,366 ₱149.0K

210.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$998 ₱62.9K

213.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$193 ₱12.2K

2634.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Zamboanga

$175 23.3% 86.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Zamboanga

$184 24.6% 54.7% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Zamboanga

$187 25% 46.9% $165

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Zamboanga

$62 8.4% 82.1% $288

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Zamboanga

$80 10.7% 37.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zamboanga

$46 6.1% 46.8% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Zamboanga

$14 1.9% 75.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $266 in Zamboanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2635% 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 $16.00 in Zamboanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $184 per month, with Zamboanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

02:49 2:49 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zamboanga 14,090 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zamboanga wins on cost – living expenses run 260% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zamboanga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2635% 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 $266 in Zamboanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $748 in Zamboanga – a 260% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zamboanga runs roughly 266% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $748 in Zamboanga versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zamboanga but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zamboanga 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 Zamboanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 260% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.