Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexicali and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $949 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index
129

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

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Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$949

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $949 in Mexicali versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Mexicali $949
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,525 in Mexicali versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Mexicali $1,525
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,101 in Mexicali versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Mexicali $2,101
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Mexicali costs roughly 65% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexicali is 29% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.10 MX$220

$20.22 $20.22

-40.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.24 MX$623

$85.0 $85.0

-59.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 MX$122

$12.35 $12.35

-45.83%

Cappuccino

$3.43 MX$62.3

$5.47 $5.47

-37.29%

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

$1.34 MX$24.37

$3.82 $3.82

-64.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.46

$2.50 $2.50

-55.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 MX$58.7

$8.06 $8.06

-59.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 MX$77.4

$8.99 $8.99

-52.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MX$21.90

$1.13 $1.13

6.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 MX$43.55

$3.78 $3.78

-36.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.07

$3.25 $3.25

-52.62%

Eggs

$2.76 MX$50.2

$4.14 $4.14

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.42 MX$44.07

$13.08 $13.08

-81.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 MX$109

$14.31 $14.31

-58.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 MX$121

$15.96 $15.96

-58.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MX$29.58

$4.38 $4.38

-62.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.50

$1.45 $1.45

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.54

$4.54 $4.54

-69.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 MX$29.70

$4.19 $4.19

-61.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MX$25.67

$2.63 $2.63

-46.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.79

$2.36 $2.36

-39.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 MX$24.47

$1.76 $1.76

-23.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MX$15.51

$2.16 $2.16

-60.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 MX$73.0

$9.81 $9.81

-59.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 MX$147

$14.72 $14.72

-45.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$35.28

$2.78 $2.78

-30.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MX$71.0

$3.48 $3.48

12.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 MX$19.02

$1.49 $1.49

-29.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.15 MX$639

$40.51 $40.51

-13.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MX$51.6

$2.67 $2.67

6.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MX$41.18

$1.58 $1.58

43.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.06 MX$347

$35.29 $35.29

-45.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.37

$0.99 $0.99

35.35%

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

$21.7K MX$395.6K

$35.8K $35.8K

-39.26%

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

$24.4K MX$443.1K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.36%

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

$47.14 MX$857

$219 $219

-78.50%

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

$22.65 MX$412

$58.0 $58.0

-60.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.19 MX$549

$68.4 $68.4

-55.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 MX$713

$57.9 $57.9

-32.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 MX$302

$14.82 $14.82

12.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.08 MX$74.3

$14.13 $14.13

-71.13%

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

$210 MX$3,825

$1,509 $1,509

-86.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,724 MX$85.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-77.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.95 MX$636

$51.7 $51.7

-32.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.98 MX$600

$44.05 $44.05

-25.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 MX$1,407

$85.1 $85.1

-9.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.03 MX$692

$105 $105

-63.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 MX$18.2K

$1,932 $1,932

-48.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 MX$5,012

$1,272 $1,272

-78.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 MX$24.7K

$3,670 $3,670

-63.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 MX$10.1K

$2,525 $2,525

-77.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 MX$48.0K

$7,617 $7,617

-65.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,474 MX$26.8K

$3,199 $3,199

-53.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$860 MX$15.7K

$5,105 $5,105

-83.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

6.79

77.76%

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

Last update for Mexicali: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexicali

$276 29.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 362% $997

Groceries & Markets

Mexicali

$197 20.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 104% $206

Eating Out

Mexicali

$192 20.3%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 80.8% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexicali

$100 10.5%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 246% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Mexicali

$83 8.7%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 56.1% $46

Getting Around

Mexicali

$53 5.6%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 6.6% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Mexicali

$47 5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 81.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $998 in Mexicali and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 493% 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: $34.00 in Mexicali vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $403 per month, with Mexicali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

02:19 2:19 AM

2 h ahead of Mexicali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

854,186

974,447

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 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

Mexicali Austin, TX 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexicali
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

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

Mexicali wins on cost – living expenses run 185% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexicali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 493% 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: $998 in Mexicali 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 $949 per month in Mexicali versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 185% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mexicali runs roughly 15% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $949 in Mexicali versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexicali but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mexicali 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.

Safety-wise, Mexicali 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 Mexicali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 185% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.