Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zapopan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zapopan: $1,518 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
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Zapopan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,518 in Zapopan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zapopan $1,518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,203 in Zapopan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zapopan $2,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,888 in Zapopan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zapopan $2,888

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 75% more expensive than in Zapopan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Zapopan 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.95 MX$202

89.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$33.24 MX$614

154.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.12 MX$205

10.79%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.76 MX$69.4

49.73%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.11 MX$20.48

235.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.17 MX$21.68

113.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.20 MX$40.74

265.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.48 MX$82.7

101.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.49 MX$27.51

-24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.58 MX$47.70

45.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.21 MX$22.28

169.42%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.73 MX$50.5

52.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.44 MX$156

52.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.07 MX$186

40.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.14 MX$187

59.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.96 MX$54.7

46.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.43 MX$26.39

2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.71 MX$31.68

163.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.18 MX$40.25

99.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.23 MX$41.19

15.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.60 MX$48.12

-9.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.88 MX$34.70

-5.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.19 MX$22.01

86.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.68 MX$105

73.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.48 MX$120

132.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.83 MX$33.78

59.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.84 MX$52.4

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.54 MX$10.01

175.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$32.31 MX$597

29.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.42 MX$44.72

12.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.54 MX$46.94

-34.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.80 MX$181

260.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.46 MX$26.99

-34.93%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$20.9K MX$385.6K

72.77%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.9K MX$441.7K

13.27%

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

$229 $229

$125 MX$2,301

83.93%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.20 MX$447

145.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$29.26 MX$541

138.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$43.29 MX$800

32.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.80 MX$255

18.33%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.37 MX$99.3

165.92%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$166 MX$3,076

804.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,056 MX$130.4K

204.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$46.26 MX$855

14.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$25.07 MX$463

74.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$73.8 MX$1,364

14.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$118 MX$2,184

-12.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$969 MX$17.9K

96.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$658 MX$12.2K

93.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,667 MX$30.8K

119.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,026 MX$19.0K

147.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,695 MX$105.2K

33.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,559 MX$28.8K

102.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,013 MX$18.7K

405.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zapopan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zapopan

$658 43.3% 48.4% $616

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zapopan

$265 17.5% 34.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zapopan

$178 11.7% 50.3% $180

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zapopan

$195 12.9% 44.9% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zapopan

$119 7.8% 7.4% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zapopan

$54 3.6% 37% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zapopan

$50 3.3% 15.5% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $969 in Zapopan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 405% 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 $33.00 in Zapopan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $265 per month, with Zapopan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

22:44 10:44 PM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,257,547

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Zapopan 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zapopan

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 Zapopan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zapopan wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zapopan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 405% 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 $969 in Zapopan. 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 $1,518 in Zapopan – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zapopan runs roughly 29% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,518 in Zapopan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zapopan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zapopan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zapopan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zapopan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Zapopan 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 Zapopan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.