Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,334 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
129

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

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Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,334

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,334 in Merida versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Merida $1,334
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,174 in Merida versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Merida $2,174
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,014 in Merida versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Merida $3,014
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Merida costs roughly 51% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merida 0% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.90 MX$255

$20.22 $20.22

-31.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 MX$1,022

$85.0 $85.0

-34.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 MX$149

$12.35 $12.35

-34.33%

Cappuccino

$3.97 MX$73.0

$5.47 $5.47

-27.42%

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

$1.14 MX$21.00

$3.82 $3.82

-70.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.67

$2.50 $2.50

-52.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.4

$8.06 $8.06

-61.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 MX$71.1

$8.99 $8.99

-56.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.30

$1.13 $1.13

41.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$48.41

$3.78 $3.78

-30.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.83

$3.25 $3.25

-46.77%

Eggs

$1.97 MX$36.18

$4.14 $4.14

-52.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 MX$189

$13.08 $13.08

-21.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$14.31 $14.31

-46.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.54 MX$230

$15.96 $15.96

-21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$50.9

$4.38 $4.38

-36.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MX$25.89

$1.45 $1.45

-2.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.21

$4.54 $4.54

-52.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$4.19 $4.19

-50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.25

$2.63 $2.63

-10.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.53

$2.36 $2.36

-22.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.27

$1.76 $1.76

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$20.80

$2.16 $2.16

-47.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 MX$81.4

$9.81 $9.81

-54.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 MX$200

$14.72 $14.72

-25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 MX$27.06

$2.78 $2.78

-47.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 MX$46.08

$3.48 $3.48

-27.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.36

$1.49 $1.49

-55.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.76 MX$363

$40.51 $40.51

-51.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 MX$50.1

$2.67 $2.67

2.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 MX$69.1

$1.58 $1.58

137.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MX$162

$35.29 $35.29

-75.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.04

$0.99 $0.99

59.60%

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

$21.5K MX$393.9K

$35.8K $35.8K

-40.08%

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

$24.4K MX$447.1K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.40%

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

$113 MX$2,076

$219 $219

-48.44%

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

$21.35 MX$392

$58.0 $58.0

-63.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.42 MX$650

$68.4 $68.4

-48.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.12 MX$553

$57.9 $57.9

-47.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 MX$217

$14.82 $14.82

-20.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 MX$139

$14.13 $14.13

-46.43%

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

$266 MX$4,880

$1,509 $1,509

-82.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,584 MX$65.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-83.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,020

$51.7 $51.7

7.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 MX$995

$44.05 $44.05

23.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,869

$85.1 $85.1

19.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MX$1,602

$105 $105

-17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 MX$11.6K

$1,932 $1,932

-67.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 MX$8,585

$1,272 $1,272

-63.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 MX$22.8K

$3,670 $3,670

-66.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 MX$17.8K

$2,525 $2,525

-61.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,252 MX$41.4K

$7,617 $7,617

-70.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,234 MX$22.7K

$3,199 $3,199

-61.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 MX$11.1K

$5,105 $5,105

-88.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

6.79

71.43%

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

Last update for Merida: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$468 34.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 172% $805

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$270 20%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 49.4% $133

Eating Out

Merida

$216 16%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 61.5% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$170 12.6%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 104% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$134 10%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 4.3% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$45 3.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 90.4% $41

Getting Around

Merida

$44 3.3%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 29.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $634 in Merida and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 745% 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: $56.0 in Merida vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $403 per month, with Merida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Merida

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

1 h ahead of Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Merida Austin, TX 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Merida
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

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

Merida wins on cost – living expenses run 103% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Merida the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 745% 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: $634 in Merida versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,334 per month in Merida versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Merida runs roughly 105% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,334 in Merida versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Merida but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Merida the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Merida delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,334 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Merida hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Merida and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Merida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.