Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Cabos and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Cabos: $1,371 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index
130

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

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Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,371

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Los Cabos versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Los Cabos $1,371
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,211 in Los Cabos versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Los Cabos $2,211
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,051 in Los Cabos versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Los Cabos $3,051
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Los Cabos costs roughly 49% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Cabos 2% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 MX$412

$20.77 $20.77

7.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.70 MX$807

$84.6 $84.6

-48.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 MX$254

$12.32 $12.32

11.69%

Cappuccino

$5.22 MX$96.5

$5.63 $5.63

-7.28%

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

$2.30 MX$42.51

$3.72 $3.72

-38.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 MX$38.06

$2.50 $2.50

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$8.05 $8.05

-38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 MX$154

$9.01 $9.01

-7.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$1.12 $1.12

47.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 MX$52.8

$3.75 $3.75

-23.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 MX$44.07

$3.26 $3.26

-26.99%

Eggs

$2.41 MX$44.49

$4.17 $4.17

-42.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 MX$166

$12.90 $12.90

-30.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 MX$177

$14.16 $14.16

-32.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 MX$328

$16.22 $16.22

9.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 MX$76.4

$4.33 $4.33

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.46 $1.46

21.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.2

$4.51 $4.51

-35.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.70

$4.34 $4.34

-41.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.16

$2.58 $2.58

-9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.73

$2.35 $2.35

7.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$1.78 $1.78

-30.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.94

$2.22 $2.22

-61.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$83.6

$9.88 $9.88

-54.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 MX$191

$15.08 $15.08

-31.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.70

$2.92 $2.92

-44.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MX$57.8

$3.46 $3.46

-9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 MX$25.98

$1.49 $1.49

-5.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.20

$2.73 $2.73

-2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.59

$1.66 $1.66

16.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 MX$215

$35.30 $35.30

-67.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.43

$0.95 $0.95

45.26%

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

$21.0K MX$388.2K

$36.0K $36.0K

-41.73%

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

$24.3K MX$449.9K

$27.1K $27.1K

-10.07%

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

$58.6 MX$1,083

$229 $229

-74.41%

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

$27.70 MX$512

$59.4 $59.4

-53.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$454

$69.9 $69.9

-64.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 MX$637

$57.2 $57.2

-39.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 MX$371

$16.33 $16.33

22.78%

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 MX$79.1

$14.28 $14.28

-70.03%

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

$215 MX$3,971

$1,506 $1,506

-85.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,652 MX$86.0K

$21.5K $21.5K

-78.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 MX$1,724

$52.8 $52.8

76.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 MX$751

$43.82 $43.82

-7.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 MX$2,298

$84.8 $84.8

46.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 MX$1,657

$103 $103

-12.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 MX$11.3K

$1,907 $1,907

-67.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MX$7,226

$1,274 $1,274

-69.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 MX$19.3K

$3,664 $3,664

-71.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 MX$14.4K

$2,538 $2,538

-69.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 MX$35.7K

$7,614 $7,614

-74.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MX$20.9K

$3,157 $3,157

-64.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$811 MX$15.0K

$5,121 $5,121

-84.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.79

66.42%

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

Last update for Los Cabos: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Cabos

$391 28.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 226% $883

Eating Out

Los Cabos

$341 24.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 3.6% $12

Groceries & Markets

Los Cabos

$310 22.6%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 30.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Los Cabos

$157 11.4%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 18.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Cabos

$111 8.1%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 223% $247

Sport & Entertainment

Los Cabos

$43 3.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 99.3% $43

Getting Around

Los Cabos

$18 * 1.3%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 228% $41

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 $612 in Los Cabos and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 532% 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: $44.00 in Los Cabos vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $405 per month, with Los Cabos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

2 h ahead of Los Cabos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

974,447

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Los Cabos Austin, TX 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Los Cabos wins on cost – living expenses run 94% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Los Cabos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 532% 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: $612 in Los Cabos versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $215 in Los Cabos versus $1,506 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 Cabos – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,371 in Los Cabos versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Los Cabos but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Los Cabos 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 Cabos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.