Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
128

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

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $558 in La Merced versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

La Merced $558
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $910 in La Merced versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

La Merced $910
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,263 in La Merced versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

La Merced $1,263
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in La Merced costs roughly 79% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: La Merced is 59% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.06

$21.34 $21.34

-79.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 PEN 120

$87.9 $87.9

-60.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.13

$12.44 $12.44

-43.65%

Cappuccino

$3.18 PEN 10.94

$5.60 $5.60

-43.21%

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

$1.08 PEN 3.71

$3.65 $3.65

-70.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.24

$2.39 $2.39

-72.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PEN 8.84

$7.82 $7.82

-67.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.78

$8.75 $8.75

-50.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.12 $1.12

41.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 PEN 7.13

$3.62 $3.62

-42.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.42

$3.50 $3.50

-63.43%

Eggs

$2.35 PEN 8.09

$4.45 $4.45

-47.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.23

$13.18 $13.18

-44.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 PEN 19.89

$13.94 $13.94

-58.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.68 PEN 29.87

$16.46 $16.46

-47.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$4.73 $4.73

-80.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$1.50 $1.50

-70.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.03

$4.64 $4.64

-93.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 PEN 2.45

$4.52 $4.52

-84.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$2.55 $2.55

-89.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$2.39 $2.39

-81.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 PEN 2.07

$1.84 $1.84

-67.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 3.01

$2.13 $2.13

-59.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 PEN 19.38

$10.05 $10.05

-43.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 PEN 25.24

$14.88 $14.88

-50.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 PEN 6.55

$2.82 $2.82

-32.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 PEN 10.58

$3.29 $3.29

-6.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.82

$2.68 $2.68

27.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$1.63 $1.63

26.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 PEN 26.31

$35.20 $35.20

-78.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.64

$0.98 $0.98

67.35%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.8K

$34.4K $34.4K

-36.74%

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

$28.9K PEN 99.6K

$26.8K $26.8K

7.92%

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

$66.7 PEN 229

$252 $252

-73.58%

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

$15.80 PEN 54.4

$59.8 $59.8

-73.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 PEN 93.1

$69.7 $69.7

-61.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$13.75 $13.75

-48.07%

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

$318 PEN 1,093

$1,458 $1,458

-78.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K PEN 43.5K

$26.6K $26.6K

-52.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 PEN 183

$52.6 $52.6

1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.12 PEN 121

$45.76 $45.76

-23.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 PEN 288

$85.5 $85.5

-2.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 272

$106 $106

-25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

6.82

28.74%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$185 33.1%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 120% $222

Eating Out

La Merced

$123 22%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 191% $233

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$113 20.3%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 15.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$110 19.6%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 249% $272

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$14 * 2.6%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 515% $74

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 315% $43

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35 in La Merced vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $407 per month, with La Merced cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

19:10 7:10 PM

1 h behind La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

La Merced Austin, TX 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

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

La Merced wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making La Merced the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $837 in La Merced and $4,034 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.

Childcare runs $318 in La Merced versus $1,458 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in La Merced – a meal for two runs $35 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $558 in La Merced versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $800 budget is realistic in La Merced but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes La Merced 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.