Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ensenada and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Ensenada: $1,077 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
Learn more

Ensenada Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,077 in Ensenada versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Ensenada $1,077
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,707 in Ensenada versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Ensenada $1,707
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,336 in Ensenada versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Ensenada $2,336
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Ensenada costs roughly 60% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ensenada is 20% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 MX$218

$20.22 $20.22

-40.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.40 MX$626

$85.0 $85.0

-59.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 MX$134

$12.35 $12.35

-40.24%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MX$55.6

$5.47 $5.47

-44.06%

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

$1.18 MX$21.51

$3.82 $3.82

-69.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MX$12.55

$2.50 $2.50

-72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 MX$51.7

$8.06 $8.06

-64.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 MX$72.3

$8.99 $8.99

-55.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MX$32.00

$1.13 $1.13

55.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$47.86

$3.78 $3.78

-30.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.11

$3.25 $3.25

-47.38%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$49.57

$4.14 $4.14

-34.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$155

$13.08 $13.08

-34.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 MX$123

$14.31 $14.31

-52.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 MX$189

$15.96 $15.96

-34.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$39.40

$4.38 $4.38

-50.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$29.81

$1.45 $1.45

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.06

$4.54 $4.54

-59.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.78

$4.19 $4.19

-62.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 MX$24.50

$2.63 $2.63

-48.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.41

$2.36 $2.36

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$26.84

$1.76 $1.76

-15.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.89

$2.16 $2.16

-51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$73.8

$9.81 $9.81

-58.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 MX$245

$14.72 $14.72

-8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$32.87

$2.78 $2.78

-34.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$48.58

$3.48 $3.48

-23.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$15.81

$1.49 $1.49

-41.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.92 MX$653

$40.51 $40.51

-11.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 MX$54.0

$2.67 $2.67

11.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 MX$36.04

$1.58 $1.58

25.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.57 MX$356

$35.29 $35.29

-44.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.87

$0.99 $0.99

38.38%

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

$20.0K MX$364.0K

$35.8K $35.8K

-44.10%

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

$24.6K MX$447.3K

$27.2K $27.2K

-9.51%

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

$48.01 MX$873

$219 $219

-78.10%

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

$32.03 MX$583

$58.0 $58.0

-44.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MX$485

$68.4 $68.4

-60.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.95 MX$563

$57.9 $57.9

-46.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.17 MX$203

$14.82 $14.82

-24.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MX$84.5

$14.13 $14.13

-67.09%

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

$197 MX$3,582

$1,509 $1,509

-86.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,889 MX$88.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-77.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MX$985

$51.7 $51.7

4.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 MX$803

$44.05 $44.05

0.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,875

$85.1 $85.1

21.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 MX$1,054

$105 $105

-44.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 MX$9,610

$1,932 $1,932

-72.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 MX$6,052

$1,272 $1,272

-73.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 MX$18.3K

$3,670 $3,670

-72.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 MX$11.8K

$2,525 $2,525

-74.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,345 MX$24.5K

$7,617 $7,617

-82.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$687 MX$12.5K

$3,199 $3,199

-78.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$673 MX$12.2K

$5,105 $5,105

-86.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.79

66.42%

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

Last update for Ensenada: 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

Ensenada

$333 30.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 282% $940

Groceries & Markets

Ensenada

$255 23.5%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 57.8% $148

Eating Out

Ensenada

$184 16.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 88.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Ensenada

$117 10.7%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 10.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ensenada

$107 9.8%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 224% $239

Getting Around

Ensenada

$52 4.8%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 9.1% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ensenada

$40 3.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 114% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Ensenada and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 658% 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: $34.00 in Ensenada vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $403 per month, with Ensenada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

2 h ahead of Ensenada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

330,652

974,447

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ensenada Austin, TX 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ensenada
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

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

Ensenada wins on cost – living expenses run 151% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ensenada the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 658% 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: $528 in Ensenada 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 $1,077 per month in Ensenada versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ensenada runs roughly 13% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,077 in Ensenada versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ensenada but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ensenada the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ensenada delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,077 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ensenada hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ensenada 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 Ensenada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.