Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,616 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
128

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

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,616

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,616 in Cancun versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Cancun $1,616
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Cancun versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Cancun $2,436
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Cancun versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Cancun $3,256
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Cancun costs roughly 40% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cancun 20% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.70 MX$201

$21.34 $21.34

-49.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 MX$1,029

$87.9 $87.9

-37.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 MX$215

$12.44 $12.44

-7.96%

Cappuccino

$3.65 MX$68.6

$5.60 $5.60

-34.82%

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

$1.30 MX$24.38

$3.65 $3.65

-64.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$15.26

$2.39 $2.39

-66.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$7.82 $7.82

-61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 MX$80.1

$8.75 $8.75

-51.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$31.58

$1.12 $1.12

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 MX$47.24

$3.62 $3.62

-30.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MX$31.13

$3.50 $3.50

-52.57%

Eggs

$2.66 MX$50.0

$4.45 $4.45

-40.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 MX$181

$13.18 $13.18

-26.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 MX$168

$13.94 $13.94

-35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 MX$261

$16.46 $16.46

-15.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 MX$52.5

$4.73 $4.73

-40.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$30.45

$1.50 $1.50

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 MX$57.9

$4.64 $4.64

-33.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$42.09

$4.52 $4.52

-50.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$2.55 $2.55

-24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.57

$2.39 $2.39

-20.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MX$22.06

$1.84 $1.84

-36.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.35

$2.13 $2.13

-41.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 MX$79.1

$10.05 $10.05

-58.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 MX$186

$14.88 $14.88

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 MX$28.35

$2.82 $2.82

-46.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 MX$52.1

$3.29 $3.29

-15.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.79

$1.23 $1.23

-44.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.96 MX$732

$41.43 $41.43

-5.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 MX$80.3

$2.68 $2.68

59.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.63 $1.63

77.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.42 MX$252

$35.20 $35.20

-61.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.71

$0.98 $0.98

56.12%

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

$24.5K MX$460.2K

$34.4K $34.4K

-28.72%

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

$23.4K MX$439.1K

$26.8K $26.8K

-12.80%

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

$162 MX$3,041

$252 $252

-35.80%

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

$23.15 MX$435

$59.8 $59.8

-61.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.98 MX$694

$69.7 $69.7

-46.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.72 MX$502

$60.4 $60.4

-55.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 MX$243

$18.14 $18.14

-28.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$137

$13.75 $13.75

-46.98%

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

$206 MX$3,865

$1,458 $1,458

-85.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,429 MX$102.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

-79.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$1,016

$52.6 $52.6

2.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 MX$1,024

$45.76 $45.76

19.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 MX$1,364

$85.5 $85.5

-15.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.9 MX$1,726

$106 $106

-13.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 MX$17.8K

$2,195 $2,195

-56.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 MX$13.0K

$1,269 $1,269

-45.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 MX$32.3K

$4,000 $4,000

-57.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 MX$22.4K

$2,406 $2,406

-50.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,243 MX$23.3K

$7,381 $7,381

-83.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,879 MX$35.3K

$2,964 $2,964

-36.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$871 MX$16.4K

$5,043 $5,043

-82.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.82

67.89%

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

Last update for Cancun: November 1, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$690 42.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 83.9% $579

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$284 17.6%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 43.5% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$222 13.7%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 71.9% $160

Eating Out

Cancun

$196 12.1%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 81.7% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$123 7.6%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 6% $7.4

Getting Around

Cancun

$60 3.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 5.5% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$41 2.6%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 113% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $948 in Cancun and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Cancun vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $407 per month, with Cancun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

1 h behind Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

974,447

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cancun Austin, TX 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

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

Cancun wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cancun the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Cancun. 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: $948 in Cancun versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,616 per month in Cancun versus $2,689 in Austin, TX – Cancun is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cancun runs roughly 6% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cancun gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Cancun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.