Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boracay and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
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Boracay Living Index
130

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

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Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Boracay and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in Boracay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Boracay $772
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Boracay versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Boracay $1,313
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,854 in Boracay versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Boracay $1,854
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Boracay costs roughly 71% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boracay is 43% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 ₱361

$20.77 $20.77

-72.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.15 ₱1,206

$84.6 $84.6

-77.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.94 ₱374

$12.32 $12.32

-51.79%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ₱149

$5.63 $5.63

-57.90%

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

$0.70 ₱43.78

$3.72 $3.72

-81.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.44

$2.50 $2.50

-90.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$8.05 $8.05

-85.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

$9.01 $9.01

-78.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 ₱186

$1.12 $1.12

163.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ₱61.9

$3.75 $3.75

-73.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.3

$3.26 $3.26

-72.70%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱122

$4.17 $4.17

-53.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₱323

$12.90 $12.90

-60.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 ₱301

$14.16 $14.16

-66.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 ₱459

$16.22 $16.22

-55.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 ₱158

$4.33 $4.33

-42.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.46 $1.46

8.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ₱139

$4.51 $4.51

-51.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₱67.9

$4.34 $4.34

-75.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 ₱133

$2.58 $2.58

-18.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$2.35 $2.35

-14.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₱62.5

$1.78 $1.78

-44.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₱35.84

$2.22 $2.22

-74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 ₱144

$9.88 $9.88

-76.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱489

$15.08 $15.08

-48.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.5

$2.92 $2.92

-67.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.46 $3.46

-49.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.09

$1.49 $1.49

-83.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.23 ₱707

$41.72 $41.72

-73.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.52

$2.73 $2.73

-75.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.18

$1.66 $1.66

-86.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$35.30 $35.30

-94.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$0.95 $0.95

16.84%

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

$23.7K ₱1.5M

$36.0K $36.0K

-34.36%

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

$22.0K ₱1.4M

$27.1K $27.1K

-18.63%

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

$111 ₱6,979

$229 $229

-51.60%

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

$14.23 ₱896

$59.4 $59.4

-76.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 ₱2,131

$69.9 $69.9

-51.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.95 ₱1,886

$57.2 $57.2

-47.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ₱323

$16.33 $16.33

-68.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$14.28 $14.28

-63.17%

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

$136 ₱8,591

$1,506 $1,506

-90.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,041 ₱506.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-62.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.09 ₱2,272

$52.8 $52.8

-31.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,209

$43.82 $43.82

-56.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ₱4,773

$84.8 $84.8

-10.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ₱3,723

$103 $103

-42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 ₱16.9K

$1,907 $1,907

-85.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱10.9K

$1,274 $1,274

-86.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ₱32.9K

$3,664 $3,664

-85.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$614 ₱38.6K

$2,538 $2,538

-75.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,441 ₱153.7K

$7,614 $7,614

-67.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 ₱61.7K

$3,157 $3,157

-68.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$229 ₱14.4K

$5,121 $5,121

-95.53%

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 Boracay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Boracay

$193 25%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 109% $211

Accommodation & Living

Boracay

$174 22.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 633% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boracay

$159 20.6%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 126% $199

Eating Out

Boracay

$105 13.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 236% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Boracay

$86 11.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 49.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Boracay

$40 5.3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 112% $45

Getting Around

Boracay

$14 1.8%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 320% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $268 in Boracay and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2135% 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: $19.00 in Boracay vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $405 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Boracay

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

14:51 2:51 PM

13 h behind Boracay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,296

974,447

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boracay Austin, TX 13,690 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Boracay
Austin, TX

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

Boracay vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boracay wins on cost – living expenses run 245% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Boracay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 2135% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $268 in Boracay versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $772 per month in Boracay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 245% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Boracay runs roughly 272% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $772 in Boracay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Boracay delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $772 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Boracay hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Boracay and Austin, TX 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 245% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.