Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in El Paso: $1,635 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in El Paso
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El Paso Living Index
130

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

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El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,635

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in El Paso versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

El Paso $1,635
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,406 in El Paso versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

El Paso $2,406
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,176 in El Paso versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

El Paso $3,176
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in El Paso costs roughly 39% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Paso 21% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 €14.92

$20.77 $20.77

-19.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.50

$84.6 $84.6

-34.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €9.93

$12.32 $12.32

-9.42%

Cappuccino

$2.37 €2.11

$5.63 $5.63

-57.90%

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

$2.59 €2.31

$3.72 $3.72

-30.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.50 $2.50

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$8.05 $8.05

-57.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 €3.24

$9.01 $9.01

-59.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.12 $1.12

8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.75 $3.75

-61.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.26 $3.26

-52.76%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.85

$4.17 $4.17

-23.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 €12.12

$12.90 $12.90

5.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.22 €7.32

$14.16 $14.16

-41.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 €14.16

$16.22 $16.22

-1.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$4.33 $4.33

-42.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.46 $1.46

41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$4.51 $4.51

-58.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$4.34 $4.34

-39.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.58 $2.58

-29.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.35 $2.35

-12.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.78 $1.78

-21.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$2.22 $2.22

-67.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$9.88 $9.88

-37.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$15.08 $15.08

-63.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$2.92 $2.92

-58.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.46 $3.46

-38.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.49 $1.49

10.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 €28.94

$41.72 $41.72

-22.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.73 $2.73

45.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.66 $1.66

-16.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.08 €20.53

$35.30 $35.30

-34.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.95 $0.95

88.42%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

-3.26%

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

$28.8K €25.6K

$27.1K $27.1K

6.47%

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

$146 €130

$229 $229

-36.15%

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

$18.28 €16.26

$59.4 $59.4

-69.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.34 €26.99

$69.9 $69.9

-56.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.48 €40.45

$57.2 $57.2

-20.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.48 €13.77

$16.33 $16.33

-5.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.92

$14.28 $14.28

-37.68%

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

$485 €432

$1,506 $1,506

-67.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,361 €7,437

$21.5K $21.5K

-61.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$52.8 $52.8

62.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.49 €31.57

$43.82 $43.82

-19.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.4

$84.8 $84.8

6.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.2

$103 $103

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 €794

$1,907 $1,907

-53.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €603

$1,274 $1,274

-46.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,213

$3,664 $3,664

-62.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 €890

$2,538 $2,538

-60.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,355 €2,985

$7,614 $7,614

-55.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 €1,947

$3,157 $3,157

-30.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

6.79

-51.40%

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

Last update for El Paso: 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

El Paso

$678 41.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 87.9% $596

Groceries & Markets

El Paso

$266 16.3%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 52.1% $139

Eating Out

El Paso

$238 14.6%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 48.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso

$195 11.9%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 83.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso

$145 8.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 11.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso

$63 3.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 35.6% $23

Getting Around

El Paso

$50 3.1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 17.3% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $892 in El Paso and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in El Paso vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $405 per month, with El Paso cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Paso

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

6 h behind El Paso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

974,447

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

El Paso Austin, TX 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

El Paso
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

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

El Paso wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making El Paso the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,453 in El Paso and $3,995 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $892 in El Paso 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 $1,635 per month in El Paso versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in El Paso runs roughly 28% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,635 in El Paso versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in El Paso but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes El Paso 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.

Safety-wise, El Paso 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 El Paso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.