Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manta and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $671 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index
128

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

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Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$671

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $671 in Manta versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Manta $671
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,147 in Manta versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Manta $1,147
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,623 in Manta versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Manta $1,623
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Manta costs roughly 75% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manta is 50% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 $3.03

$21.34 $21.34

-85.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.44 $49.44

$87.9 $87.9

-43.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 $5.33

$12.44 $12.44

-57.15%

Cappuccino

$2.73 $2.73

$5.60 $5.60

-51.25%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$3.65 $3.65

-86.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 $0.38

$2.39 $2.39

-84.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 $3.07

$7.82 $7.82

-60.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$8.75 $8.75

-56.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.12 $1.12

-8.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.62 $3.62

-46.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$3.50 $3.50

-71.14%

Eggs

$2.03 $2.03

$4.45 $4.45

-54.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$13.18 $13.18

-77.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$13.94 $13.94

-78.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$16.46 $16.46

-57.23%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$4.73 $4.73

-79.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.50 $1.50

-48.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.67 $0.67

$4.64 $4.64

-85.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$4.52 $4.52

-82.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$2.55 $2.55

-79.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.39 $2.39

-79.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.84 $1.84

-61.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.13 $2.13

-53.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 $3.88

$10.05 $10.05

-61.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$14.88 $14.88

-54.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.82 $2.82

-64.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$3.29 $3.29

-35.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 $0.50

$1.23 $1.23

-59.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.68 $2.68

-33.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.63 $1.63

-10.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.33 $9.33

$35.20 $35.20

-73.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$0.98 $0.98

-24.49%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$34.4K $34.4K

-33.53%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$26.8K $26.8K

13.90%

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

$95.7 $95.7

$252 $252

-62.05%

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

$10.84 $10.84

$59.8 $59.8

-81.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.35 $26.35

$69.7 $69.7

-62.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.35 $20.35

$60.4 $60.4

-66.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.88 $34.88

$18.14 $18.14

92.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 $4.94

$13.75 $13.75

-64.07%

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

$376 $376

$1,458 $1,458

-74.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,347 $9,347

$26.6K $26.6K

-64.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 $55.0

$52.6 $52.6

4.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 $40.15

$45.76 $45.76

-12.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 $99.1

$85.5 $85.5

15.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 $63.1

$106 $106

-40.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 $304

$2,195 $2,195

-86.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 $138

$1,269 $1,269

-89.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 $896

$4,000 $4,000

-77.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 $342

$2,406 $2,406

-85.79%

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)

$472 $472

$5,043 $5,043

-90.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

6.82

47.36%

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

Last update for Manta: November 1, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manta

$143 21.3%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 186% $265

Accommodation & Living

Manta

$138 20.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 817% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manta

$133 19.8%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 187% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Manta

$116 17.3%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 12.6% $15

Eating Out

Manta

$100 14.9%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 257% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Manta

$30 4.5%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 191% $58

Getting Around

Manta

$11 * 1.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 416% $46

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 $304 in Manta and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Manta vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $143 vs $407 per month, with Manta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Manta

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

1 h behind Manta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,553

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manta Austin, TX 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Manta
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

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

Manta wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Manta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Manta. 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: $304 in Manta versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $376 in Manta 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 Manta – a meal for two runs $49 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $671 in Manta versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Manta 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.

It comes down to priorities – Manta wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.