Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Austin, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Burnaby and in Austin, TX: $2,738 and $2,663 a month, rent and utilities included.

133

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
130

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

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,738

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burnaby 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 Burnaby and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Burnaby $2,738
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,928 in Burnaby versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Burnaby $3,928
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,117 in Burnaby versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Burnaby $5,117
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Burnaby is roughly 3% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 103% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 CA$29.94

$20.77 $20.77

1.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 CA$118

$84.6 $84.6

-1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CA$12.64

$12.32 $12.32

-27.44%

Cappuccino

$4.66 CA$6.59

$5.63 $5.63

-17.23%

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

$2.30 CA$3.26

$3.72 $3.72

-38.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 CA$2.38

$2.50 $2.50

-32.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CA$11.95

$8.05 $8.05

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 CA$8.21

$9.01 $9.01

-35.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$1.12 $1.12

105.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$3.75 $3.75

-27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$3.26 $3.26

8.28%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.36

$4.17 $4.17

-26.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 CA$19.08

$12.90 $12.90

4.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.49 CA$19.08

$14.16 $14.16

-4.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.16 CA$35.57

$16.22 $16.22

55.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 CA$6.30

$4.33 $4.33

3.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.46 $1.46

-10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 CA$6.38

$4.51 $4.51

0.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 CA$6.54

$4.34 $4.34

6.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.58 $2.58

8.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.90

$2.35 $2.35

47.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$1.78 $1.78

50.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$2.22 $2.22

-4.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 CA$19.78

$9.88 $9.88

41.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 CA$19.03

$15.08 $15.08

-10.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$2.92 $2.92

-28.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$3.46 $3.46

-34.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.49 $1.49

55.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 CA$112

$41.72 $41.72

90.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.05

$2.73 $2.73

5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.13

$1.66 $1.66

-9.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.37 CA$37.27

$35.30 $35.30

-25.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$0.95 $0.95

36.84%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

-23.47%

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

$18.7K CA$26.4K

$27.1K $27.1K

-31.07%

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

$120 CA$170

$229 $229

-47.43%

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

$43.55 CA$61.6

$59.4 $59.4

-26.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$69.9 $69.9

-24.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.72 CA$42.01

$57.2 $57.2

-48.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 CA$14.61

$16.33 $16.33

-36.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CA$19.67

$14.28 $14.28

-2.59%

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

$634 CA$897

$1,506 $1,506

-57.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$52.8 $52.8

-2.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 CA$73.0

$43.82 $43.82

17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 CA$144

$84.8 $84.8

20.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 CA$109

$103 $103

-24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 CA$2,302

$1,907 $1,907

-14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 CA$2,108

$1,274 $1,274

17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 CA$3,469

$3,664 $3,664

-33.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 CA$3,092

$2,538 $2,538

-13.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,588 CA$9,313

$7,614 $7,614

-13.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,530 CA$7,817

$3,157 $3,157

75.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 CA$4,445

$5,121 $5,121

-38.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

6.79

-29.90%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.5K 54.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 14.5% $217

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$425 15.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 4.7% $20

Eating Out

Burnaby

$322 11.8%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 9.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$217 7.9%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 65.1% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$127 4.6%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 0.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Burnaby

$99 3.6%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 40.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$58 2.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 49.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Burnaby and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 63% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Burnaby vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $425 vs $405, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

2 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

974,447

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Burnaby Austin, TX 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
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

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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Burnaby. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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: $1,628 in Burnaby 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 $2,738 per month in Burnaby versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 91% less than in Burnaby. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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.

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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Burnaby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.