Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
130

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

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Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/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: $814 in Merida versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Merida $814
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Merida versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Merida $1,418
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,021 in Merida versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Merida $2,021
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Merida costs roughly 69% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Merida is 40% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 VES 10.4K

$20.77 $20.77

-42.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 VES 53.4K

$84.6 $84.6

-28.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 VES 9,500

$12.32 $12.32

-12.18%

Cappuccino

$2.54 VES 2,226

$5.63 $5.63

-54.88%

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

$2.13 VES 1,867

$3.72 $3.72

-42.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 VES 1,195

$2.50 $2.50

-45.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 VES 1,727

$8.05 $8.05

-75.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 VES 2,644

$9.01 $9.01

-66.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 VES 1,788

$1.12 $1.12

82.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 VES 2,913

$3.75 $3.75

-11.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 VES 1,759

$3.26 $3.26

-38.65%

Eggs

$2.51 VES 2,201

$4.17 $4.17

-39.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 VES 5,965

$12.90 $12.90

-47.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 VES 6,912

$14.16 $14.16

-44.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 VES 6,421

$16.22 $16.22

-54.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 VES 4,488

$4.33 $4.33

18.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 VES 1,267

$1.46 $1.46

-1.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 VES 2,426

$4.51 $4.51

-38.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 VES 2,070

$4.34 $4.34

-45.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 VES 1,735

$2.58 $2.58

-23.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 VES 1,194

$2.35 $2.35

-42.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 VES 1,307

$1.78 $1.78

-16.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 VES 2,217

$2.22 $2.22

13.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 VES 3,258

$9.88 $9.88

-62.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 VES 9,812

$15.08 $15.08

-25.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 VES 1,233

$2.92 $2.92

-52.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 VES 1,944

$3.46 $3.46

-36.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 VES 253

$1.49 $1.49

-80.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 VES 3,469

$2.73 $2.73

44.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 VES 1,300

$1.66 $1.66

-10.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 VES 5,144

$35.30 $35.30

-83.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 VES 629

$0.95 $0.95

-24.21%

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

$45.7K VES 40.1M

$36.0K $36.0K

26.84%

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

$50.5K VES 44.3M

$27.1K $27.1K

86.51%

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

$12.37 VES 10.9K

$229 $229

-94.60%

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

$10.13 VES 8,894

$59.4 $59.4

-82.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 VES 25.9K

$69.9 $69.9

-57.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.41 VES 25.8K

$57.2 $57.2

-48.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.79 VES 13.0K

$16.33 $16.33

-9.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 VES 4,325

$14.28 $14.28

-65.48%

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

$88.5 VES 77.7K

$1,506 $1,506

-94.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,399 VES 2.1M

$21.5K $21.5K

-88.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 VES 63.7K

$52.8 $52.8

37.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 VES 37.2K

$43.82 $43.82

-3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 VES 85.5K

$84.8 $84.8

14.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 VES 86.3K

$103 $103

-4.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 VES 116.2K

$1,907 $1,907

-93.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 VES 82.1K

$1,274 $1,274

-92.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 VES 196.9K

$3,664 $3,664

-93.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 VES 169.8K

$2,538 $2,538

-92.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,184 VES 1.0M

$7,614 $7,614

-84.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,211 VES 1.1M

$3,157 $3,157

-61.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 VES 254.9K

$5,121 $5,121

-94.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

268.19%

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

Last update for Merida: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$289 35.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 40% $116

Eating Out

Merida

$188 23.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 88.3% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$140 17.2%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 8.4% $12

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$94 11.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 1262% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$52 6.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 589% $306

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$39 4.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 119% $47

Getting Around

Merida

$13 * 1.5%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 369% $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 $132 in Merida and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1664% 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: $61.0 in Merida vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $405 per month, with Merida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Merida

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

1 h behind Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,303

974,447

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Merida Austin, TX 3,670 km ≈ 5 h 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 227% 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 1664% 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: $132 in Merida versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $88.5 in Merida 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 Merida – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Merida versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 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 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 Merida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.