Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joao Pessoa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $1,059 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index
129

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

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Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Joao Pessoa $1,059
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,635 in Joao Pessoa versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Joao Pessoa $1,635
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,210 in Joao Pessoa versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Joao Pessoa $2,210
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Joao Pessoa costs roughly 61% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Joao Pessoa is 21% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 R$35.82

$20.22 $20.22

-64.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 R$147

$85.0 $85.0

-65.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 R$39.91

$12.35 $12.35

-35.30%

Cappuccino

$1.60 R$7.98

$5.47 $5.47

-70.75%

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

$1.02 R$5.07

$3.82 $3.82

-73.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.43

$2.50 $2.50

-72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$9.41

$8.06 $8.06

-76.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 R$17.56

$8.99 $8.99

-60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.13

$1.13 $1.13

8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 R$10.61

$3.78 $3.78

-43.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 R$7.69

$3.25 $3.25

-52.62%

Eggs

$2.13 R$10.62

$4.14 $4.14

-48.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 R$43.08

$13.08 $13.08

-34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 R$25.04

$14.31 $14.31

-64.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R$37.08

$15.96 $15.96

-53.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 R$16.29

$4.38 $4.38

-25.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.10

$1.45 $1.45

-29.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 R$4.61

$4.54 $4.54

-79.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.87

$4.19 $4.19

-71.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.17

$2.63 $2.63

-37.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.31

$2.36 $2.36

-46.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.78

$1.76 $1.76

-56.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.27

$2.16 $2.16

-60.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$14.92

$9.81 $9.81

-69.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 R$44.69

$14.72 $14.72

-39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$7.78

$2.78 $2.78

-43.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 R$16.54

$3.48 $3.48

-4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.10

$1.49 $1.49

-31.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.5 R$352

$40.51 $40.51

73.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 R$10.04

$2.67 $2.67

-24.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 R$9.86

$1.58 $1.58

24.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 R$16.24

$35.29 $35.29

-90.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.37

$0.99 $0.99

29.29%

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

$23.7K R$118.5K

$35.8K $35.8K

-33.71%

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

$33.2K R$165.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

22.00%

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

$131 R$652

$219 $219

-40.46%

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

$23.38 R$117

$58.0 $58.0

-59.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.22 R$121

$68.4 $68.4

-64.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 R$194

$57.9 $57.9

-32.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.64 R$148

$14.82 $14.82

100.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.88 R$54.3

$14.13 $14.13

-23.00%

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

$441 R$2,204

$1,509 $1,509

-70.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,925 R$34.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

-67.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R$272

$51.7 $51.7

5.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.7 R$343

$44.05 $44.05

56.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 R$447

$85.1 $85.1

5.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 R$386

$105 $105

-26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 R$2,014

$1,932 $1,932

-79.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 R$1,328

$1,272 $1,272

-79.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 R$3,303

$3,670 $3,670

-81.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 R$2,609

$2,525 $2,525

-79.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 R$12.1K

$7,617 $7,617

-68.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,189 R$5,935

$3,199 $3,199

-62.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 R$2,521

$5,105 $5,105

-90.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

62.00%

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

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 378% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 95% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 94% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 1.4% $1.8

Eating Out

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 181% $224

Getting Around

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 34% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 42.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Joao Pessoa and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 911% 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: $29.00 in Joao Pessoa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $403 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

2 h behind Joao Pessoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

833,932

974,447

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

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

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Joao Pessoa Austin, TX 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Joao Pessoa
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

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

Joao Pessoa wins on cost – living expenses run 155% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Joao Pessoa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 911% 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: $404 in Joao Pessoa 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 $1,059 per month in Joao Pessoa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Joao Pessoa runs roughly 74% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 155% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.