Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castries and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,413 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index
129

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

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Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,413

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Castries versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Castries $1,413
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,371 in Castries versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Castries $2,371
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,330 in Castries versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Castries $3,330
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Castries costs roughly 48% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Castries 5% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.42 EC$25.43

$20.22 $20.22

-53.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 EC$201

$85.0 $85.0

-12.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 EC$22.72

$12.35 $12.35

-31.90%

Cappuccino

$3.67 EC$9.90

$5.47 $5.47

-32.91%

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

$1.97 EC$5.31

$3.82 $3.82

-48.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 EC$2.73

$2.50 $2.50

-59.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 EC$7.72

$8.06 $8.06

-64.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 EC$8.86

$8.99 $8.99

-63.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 EC$5.46

$1.13 $1.13

78.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 EC$4.99

$3.78 $3.78

-51.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 EC$4.65

$3.25 $3.25

-47.08%

Eggs

$4.51 EC$12.19

$4.14 $4.14

8.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 EC$30.47

$13.08 $13.08

-13.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 EC$24.51

$14.31 $14.31

-36.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 EC$40.29

$15.96 $15.96

-6.52%

Apples (1kg)

$8.61 EC$23.25

$4.38 $4.38

96.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 EC$4.38

$1.45 $1.45

11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 EC$21.84

$4.54 $4.54

78.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$14.83 EC$40.04

$4.19 $4.19

253.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 EC$9.44

$2.63 $2.63

33.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 EC$5.56

$2.36 $2.36

-12.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 EC$5.94

$1.76 $1.76

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 EC$3.46

$2.16 $2.16

-40.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.35 EC$25.25

$9.81 $9.81

-4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 EC$29.57

$14.72 $14.72

-25.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 EC$6.23

$2.78 $2.78

-16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 EC$15.38

$3.48 $3.48

63.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 EC$2.91

$1.49 $1.49

-27.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 EC$25.63

$2.67 $2.67

255.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 EC$4.11

$0.99 $0.99

53.54%

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

$26.3K EC$70.9K

$35.8K $35.8K

-26.62%

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

$36.5K EC$98.6K

$27.2K $27.2K

34.32%

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

$124 EC$334

$219 $219

-43.55%

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

$89.6 EC$242

$58.0 $58.0

54.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.85 EC$129

$68.4 $68.4

-30.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 EC$114

$57.9 $57.9

-26.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 EC$15.33

$14.13 $14.13

-59.80%

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

$211 EC$570

$1,509 $1,509

-86.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 EC$226

$51.7 $51.7

62.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 EC$135

$44.05 $44.05

13.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 EC$299

$85.1 $85.1

30.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 EC$299

$105 $105

5.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 EC$1,216

$1,932 $1,932

-76.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 EC$918

$1,272 $1,272

-73.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 EC$3,195

$3,670 $3,670

-67.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 EC$1,912

$2,525 $2,525

-71.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$101 EC$273

$7,617 $7,617

-98.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.4 EC$171

$3,199 $3,199

-98.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,122 EC$3,028

$5,105 $5,105

-78.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.75

6.79

14.14%

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

Last update for Castries: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Castries

$431 30%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 6.4% $28

Accommodation & Living

Castries

$340 23.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 274% $932

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castries

$261 18.2%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 32.3% $84

Eating Out

Castries

$177 12.4%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 96.2% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Castries

$160 11.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 19.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Castries

$54 3.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 60.4% $32

Getting Around

Castries

$14 * 1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 313% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $450 in Castries and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 355% 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: $74.0 in Castries vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $431 vs $403, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇨 Castries

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

1 h behind Castries

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,000 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Castries Austin, TX 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Castries
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

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

Castries wins on cost – living expenses run 91% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castries the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 355% 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: $450 in Castries versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $211 in Castries versus $1,509 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Castries – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,413 in Castries versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castries but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Castries 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 Castries gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.