Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Ángeles and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
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Los Ángeles Living Index
130

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

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Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Los Ángeles versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Los Ángeles $925
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Los Ángeles versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Los Ángeles $1,378
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,831 in Los Ángeles versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Los Ángeles $1,831
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Los Ángeles costs roughly 65% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Los Ángeles is 32% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

$20.77 $20.77

-40.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

$84.6 $84.6

-70.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 CLP 10,000

$12.32 $12.32

-17.45%

Cappuccino

$2.03 CLP 1,992

$5.63 $5.63

-63.94%

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

$1.50 CLP 1,471

$3.72 $3.72

-59.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CLP 1,539

$2.50 $2.50

-37.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 CLP 2,433

$8.05 $8.05

-69.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CLP 2,992

$9.01 $9.01

-66.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 CLP 1,187

$1.12 $1.12

8.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 CLP 2,751

$3.75 $3.75

-25.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 CLP 2,934

$3.26 $3.26

-8.59%

Eggs

$4.33 CLP 4,262

$4.17 $4.17

3.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 CLP 7,914

$12.90 $12.90

-37.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

$14.16 $14.16

-24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 CLP 13.9K

$16.22 $16.22

-12.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 CLP 2,582

$4.33 $4.33

-39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CLP 1,579

$1.46 $1.46

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CLP 2,669

$4.51 $4.51

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 CLP 2,244

$4.34 $4.34

-47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,480

$2.58 $2.58

-41.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,568

$2.35 $2.35

-32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 CLP 1,413

$1.78 $1.78

-19.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$2.22 $2.22

-50.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 CLP 5,576

$9.88 $9.88

-42.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.27 CLP 4,196

$15.08 $15.08

-71.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 CLP 976

$2.92 $2.92

-66.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 CLP 487

$1.49 $1.49

-66.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 CLP 2,029

$2.73 $2.73

-24.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CLP 1,243

$0.95 $0.95

32.63%

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)

$123 CLP 120.6K

$229 $229

-46.42%

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

$59.4 $59.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

$69.9 $69.9

-70.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CLP 79.3K

$57.2 $57.2

40.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

$16.33 $16.33

-37.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 CLP 4,347

$14.28 $14.28

-69.05%

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

$1,506 $1,506

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 CLP 269.1K

$1,907 $1,907

-85.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 CLP 223.8K

$1,274 $1,274

-82.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 CLP 434.6K

$3,664 $3,664

-87.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 CLP 331.0K

$2,538 $2,538

-86.74%

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)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 47.3% $130

Accommodation & Living

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 460% $1K

Eating Out

Los Ángeles

$185 20%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 91% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 150% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 4.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 1353% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Los Ángeles

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

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 $274 in Los Ángeles and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25.00 in Los Ángeles vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $405 per month, with Los Ángeles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

23:18 11:18 PM

2 h behind Los Ángeles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,023

974,447

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 983 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,101 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

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Between locations

Los Ángeles Austin, TX 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Ángeles
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

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

Los Ángeles wins on cost – living expenses run 188% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Los Ángeles the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,387 in Los Ángeles 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: $274 in Los Ángeles 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 $925 per month in Los Ángeles versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 188% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $925 in Los Ángeles versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Los Ángeles but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Los Ángeles 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 Los Ángeles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 188% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.