Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort St John, BC and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,913 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index
130

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

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Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,913

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,913 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Fort St John, BC $1,913
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,956 in Fort St John, BC versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Fort St John, BC $2,956
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,000 in Fort St John, BC versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Fort St John, BC $4,000
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Fort St John, BC costs roughly 28% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort St John, BC 42% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 CA$24.37

$20.77 $20.77

-17.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 CA$58.9

$84.6 $84.6

-50.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 CA$13.11

$12.32 $12.32

-24.68%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$5.63 $5.63

-31.79%

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

$1.71 CA$2.42

$3.72 $3.72

-54.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$2.50 $2.50

-52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 CA$8.76

$8.05 $8.05

-22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 CA$6.51

$9.01 $9.01

-48.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.36 CA$4.75

$1.12 $1.12

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 CA$3.91

$3.75 $3.75

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.26 $3.26

13.50%

Eggs

$3.93 CA$5.56

$4.17 $4.17

-5.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 CA$16.69

$12.90 $12.90

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.63 CA$19.27

$14.16 $14.16

-3.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 CA$26.23

$16.22 $16.22

14.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 CA$8.06

$4.33 $4.33

31.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 CA$0.95

$1.46 $1.46

-54.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.30

$4.51 $4.51

-16.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.95

$4.34 $4.34

-19.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.86

$2.58 $2.58

5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.35 $2.35

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 CA$2.87

$1.78 $1.78

14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$2.22 $2.22

13.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$9.88 $9.88

47.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 CA$29.44

$15.08 $15.08

38.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.98 CA$7.04

$2.92 $2.92

70.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 CA$7.80

$3.46 $3.46

59.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.49 $1.49

-8.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.24 CA$39.92

$41.72 $41.72

-32.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$0.95 $0.95

23.16%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

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

$27.1K $27.1K

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

$124 CA$175

$229 $229

-45.91%

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

$96.6 CA$137

$59.4 $59.4

62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 CA$83.9

$69.9 $69.9

-15.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.11 CA$18.53

$57.2 $57.2

-77.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.93

$14.28 $14.28

-26.05%

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

$707 CA$1,000

$1,506 $1,506

-53.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 CA$101

$52.8 $52.8

35.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.86 CA$66.3

$43.82 $43.82

6.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 CA$149

$84.8 $84.8

24.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 CA$197

$103 $103

34.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 CA$1,041

$1,907 $1,907

-61.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 CA$979

$1,274 $1,274

-45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 CA$2,149

$3,664 $3,664

-58.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 CA$1,951

$2,538 $2,538

-45.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,001 CA$4,243

$5,121 $5,121

-41.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

6.79

-10.16%

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

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort St John, BC

$692 36.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 84% $582

Groceries & Markets

Fort St John, BC

$446 23.3%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 9.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort St John, BC

$280 14.6%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 28% $78

Eating Out

Fort St John, BC

$264 13.8%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 34.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Fort St John, BC

$163 8.5%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 21.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Fort St John, BC

$34 1.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 151% $52

Getting Around

Fort St John, BC

$34 * 1.8%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 74.1% $25

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 $737 in Fort St John, BC and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 71% 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: $42.00 in Fort St John, BC vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $446 vs $405, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

2 h ahead of Fort St John, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,609

974,447

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fort St John, BC Austin, TX 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort St John, BC
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

Fort St John, BC vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fort St John, BC the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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: $737 in Fort St John, BC 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 $1,913 per month in Fort St John, BC versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Fort St John, BC runs roughly 48% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,913 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.