Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Banos, CA and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Banos, CA: $2,394 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Los Banos, CA
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Los Banos, CA Living Index
129

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

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Los Banos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Los Banos, CA versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Los Banos, CA $2,394
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,580 in Los Banos, CA versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Los Banos, CA $3,580
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,767 in Los Banos, CA versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Los Banos, CA $4,767
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Los Banos, CA costs roughly 11% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Banos, CA 77% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$20.63 $20.63

-27.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$84.6 $84.6

19.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$12.07 $12.07

-18.56%

Cappuccino

$5.11 $5.11

$5.48 $5.48

-6.75%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$3.80 $3.80

-33.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.47 $2.47

-17.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 $7.94

$8.05 $8.05

-1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.24 $8.24

$8.88 $8.88

-7.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.11 $1.11

-7.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.72 $3.72

-13.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.37 $3.37

-12.46%

Eggs

$1.58 $1.58

$4.32 $4.32

-63.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$13.13 $13.13

-33.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 $7.73

$14.15 $14.15

-45.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 $12.80

$16.33 $16.33

-21.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$4.55 $4.55

-25.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.46 $1.46

-7.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$4.71 $4.71

-40.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.15 $4.15

-31.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.58 $2.58

13.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.35 $2.35

3.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.77 $1.77

29.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.14 $2.14

16.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.10 $11.10

$10.10 $10.10

9.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 $14.10

$15.19 $15.19

-7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.82 $2.82

-33.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 $1.31

$3.44 $3.44

-61.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.54 $1.54

32.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.80 $2.80

-3.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.60 $1.60

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 $32.88

$34.34 $34.34

-4.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.94 $0.94

54.26%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$34.0K $34.0K

-10.56%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.8K $26.8K

0.87%

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

$217 $217

$223 $223

-2.39%

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

$44.68 $44.68

$58.9 $58.9

-24.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.7 $88.7

$70.6 $70.6

25.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 $39.09

$57.7 $57.7

-32.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$14.26 $14.26

4.21%

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

$2,509 $2,509

$1,511 $1,511

66.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

$20.9K $20.9K

41.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.82 $23.82

$51.3 $51.3

-53.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.67 $21.67

$44.17 $44.17

-50.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.3 $52.3

$87.0 $87.0

-39.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 $59.4

$104 $104

-43.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$1,940 $1,940

-16.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 $1,294

$1,316 $1,316

-1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$3,664 $3,664

-26.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,280 $2,280

$2,565 $2,565

-11.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 $2,713

$7,354 $7,354

-63.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,408 $2,408

$3,129 $3,129

-23.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,598 $6,598

$5,286 $5,286

24.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

6.79

-4.71%

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

Last update for Los Banos, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Banos, CA

$1.3K 54.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 1.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Banos, CA

$351 14.7%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 0.4% $1.4

Groceries & Markets

Los Banos, CA

$307 12.8%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 32.3% $99

Eating Out

Los Banos, CA

$284 11.9%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 23.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Los Banos, CA

$71 3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 82.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Los Banos, CA

$69 2.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 25.3% $17

Getting Around

Los Banos, CA

$19 * 0.8%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 210% $39

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 $1,618 in Los Banos, CA and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Banos, CA pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $101 in Los Banos, CA vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $406, with Los Banos, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Banos, CA

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

2 h ahead of Los Banos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,972

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Los Banos, CA Austin, TX 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Los Banos, CA wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Los Banos, CA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Los Banos, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,618 in Los Banos, CA versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,509 in Los Banos, CA versus $1,511 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 Los Banos, CA – a meal for two runs $101 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Los Banos, CA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Banos, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.