Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chihuahua and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,235 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index
129

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

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Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,235

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Chihuahua versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Chihuahua $1,235
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Chihuahua versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Chihuahua $1,838
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,441 in Chihuahua versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Chihuahua $2,441
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Chihuahua costs roughly 54% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chihuahua is 8% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.89 MX$200

$20.22 $20.22

-46.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.13 MX$608

$85.0 $85.0

-61.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 MX$202

$12.35 $12.35

-10.69%

Cappuccino

$2.43 MX$44.60

$5.47 $5.47

-55.58%

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

$1.23 MX$22.55

$3.82 $3.82

-67.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MX$13.90

$2.50 $2.50

-69.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MX$44.37

$8.06 $8.06

-69.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 MX$75.6

$8.99 $8.99

-54.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MX$30.23

$1.13 $1.13

46.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 MX$60.0

$3.78 $3.78

-13.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.08

$3.25 $3.25

-34.46%

Eggs

$2.58 MX$47.33

$4.14 $4.14

-37.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 MX$171

$13.08 $13.08

-28.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 MX$128

$14.31 $14.31

-51.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 MX$229

$15.96 $15.96

-21.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.42

$4.38 $4.38

-42.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MX$29.85

$1.45 $1.45

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.63

$4.54 $4.54

-54.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.3

$4.19 $4.19

-30.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 MX$44.47

$2.63 $2.63

-7.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 MX$48.64

$2.36 $2.36

12.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 MX$24.85

$1.76 $1.76

-23.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.33

$2.16 $2.16

-46.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.8

$9.81 $9.81

-54.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 MX$193

$14.72 $14.72

-28.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 MX$27.09

$2.78 $2.78

-46.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 MX$53.3

$3.48 $3.48

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.48

$1.49 $1.49

-61.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.79 MX$620

$40.51 $40.51

-16.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MX$50.0

$2.67 $2.67

1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 MX$14.42

$1.58 $1.58

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 MX$184

$35.29 $35.29

-71.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.69

$0.99 $0.99

52.53%

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

$21.3K MX$391.7K

$35.8K $35.8K

-40.41%

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

$24.2K MX$444.2K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.97%

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

$83.2 MX$1,527

$219 $219

-62.07%

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

$21.01 MX$386

$58.0 $58.0

-63.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.02 MX$441

$68.4 $68.4

-64.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.14 MX$517

$57.9 $57.9

-51.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$89.7

$14.13 $14.13

-65.39%

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

$269 MX$4,939

$1,509 $1,509

-82.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,353 MX$61.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

-84.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.73 MX$895

$51.7 $51.7

-5.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 MX$464

$44.05 $44.05

-42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,893

$85.1 $85.1

21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 MX$1,657

$105 $105

-14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 MX$11.1K

$1,932 $1,932

-68.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 MX$8,506

$1,272 $1,272

-63.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 MX$20.6K

$3,670 $3,670

-69.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 MX$13.2K

$2,525 $2,525

-71.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,385 MX$62.1K

$7,617 $7,617

-55.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,112 MX$20.4K

$3,199 $3,199

-65.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 MX$15.8K

$5,105 $5,105

-83.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.84

6.79

59.65%

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

Last update for Chihuahua: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chihuahua

$463 37.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 175% $809

Groceries & Markets

Chihuahua

$280 22.4%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 44.1% $123

Eating Out

Chihuahua

$178 14.2%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 96% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chihuahua

$128 10.3%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 170% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Chihuahua

$120 9.6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 7% $8.4

Getting Around

Chihuahua

$43 3.4%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 33.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chihuahua

$38 3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 127% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $605 in Chihuahua and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 492% 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: $33.00 in Chihuahua vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $403 per month, with Chihuahua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

1 h ahead of Chihuahua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

925,762

974,447

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

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

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chihuahua Austin, TX 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chihuahua
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

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

Chihuahua wins on cost – living expenses run 119% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chihuahua the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 492% 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: $605 in Chihuahua versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,235 per month in Chihuahua versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chihuahua runs roughly 20% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,235 in Chihuahua versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chihuahua but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chihuahua 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 Chihuahua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.