Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queretaro and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,458 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index
129

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

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Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,458

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,458 in Queretaro versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Queretaro $1,458
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,209 in Queretaro versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Queretaro $2,209
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,960 in Queretaro versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Queretaro $2,960
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Queretaro costs roughly 46% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Queretaro 9% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 MX$206

$20.22 $20.22

-44.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.3 MX$1,180

$85.0 $85.0

-24.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 MX$176

$12.35 $12.35

-22.35%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$65.9

$5.47 $5.47

-34.37%

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

$1.61 MX$29.54

$3.82 $3.82

-57.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.20

$2.50 $2.50

-56.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$8.06 $8.06

-59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 MX$102

$8.99 $8.99

-38.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MX$35.97

$1.13 $1.13

73.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 MX$50.9

$3.78 $3.78

-26.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.38

$3.25 $3.25

-37.23%

Eggs

$2.70 MX$49.58

$4.14 $4.14

-34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 MX$169

$13.08 $13.08

-29.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 MX$163

$14.31 $14.31

-38.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 MX$253

$15.96 $15.96

-13.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 MX$62.4

$4.38 $4.38

-22.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MX$30.78

$1.45 $1.45

15.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.65

$4.54 $4.54

-52.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.33

$4.19 $4.19

-54.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.06

$2.63 $2.63

-29.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.43

$2.36 $2.36

-22.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 MX$28.37

$1.76 $1.76

-11.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$22.99

$2.16 $2.16

-42.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 MX$85.2

$9.81 $9.81

-52.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MX$336

$14.72 $14.72

24.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 MX$40.22

$2.78 $2.78

-21.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 MX$71.9

$3.48 $3.48

12.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$11.00

$1.49 $1.49

-59.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 MX$478

$40.51 $40.51

-35.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 MX$59.6

$2.67 $2.67

21.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 MX$47.11

$1.58 $1.58

62.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.88 MX$200

$35.29 $35.29

-69.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.07

$0.99 $0.99

59.60%

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

$21.5K MX$394.9K

$35.8K $35.8K

-39.92%

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

$24.4K MX$447.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.32%

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

$58.0 MX$1,065

$219 $219

-73.56%

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

$27.03 MX$496

$58.0 $58.0

-53.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.66 MX$453

$68.4 $68.4

-63.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,048

$57.9 $57.9

-1.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.02 MX$459

$14.82 $14.82

68.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 MX$138

$14.13 $14.13

-46.64%

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

$269 MX$4,934

$1,509 $1,509

-82.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,127 MX$94.1K

$21.5K $21.5K

-76.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 MX$969

$51.7 $51.7

2.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.39 MX$815

$44.05 $44.05

0.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,871

$85.1 $85.1

19.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 MX$1,845

$105 $105

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$850 MX$15.6K

$1,932 $1,932

-56.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 MX$10.5K

$1,272 $1,272

-54.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 MX$26.8K

$3,670 $3,670

-60.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$849 MX$15.6K

$2,525 $2,525

-66.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,208 MX$40.5K

$7,617 $7,617

-71.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,244 MX$22.8K

$3,199 $3,199

-61.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$943 MX$17.3K

$5,105 $5,105

-81.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

6.79

76.58%

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

Last update for Queretaro: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queretaro

$574 39.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 122% $699

Groceries & Markets

Queretaro

$311 21.5%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 29.7% $92

Eating Out

Queretaro

$200 13.8%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 74% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Queretaro

$135 9.3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 4.5% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queretaro

$110 7.6%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 215% $236

Sport & Entertainment

Queretaro

$72 5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 19.4% $14

Getting Around

Queretaro

$45 3.1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 28.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $850 in Queretaro and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 441% 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: $64.0 in Queretaro vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $403 per month, with Queretaro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

07:17 7:17 AM

1 h ahead of Queretaro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

804,663

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 = 20.57 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

Queretaro Austin, TX 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Queretaro
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

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

Queretaro wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Queretaro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 441% 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: $850 in Queretaro 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 $1,458 per month in Queretaro versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Queretaro runs roughly 56% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,458 in Queretaro versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Queretaro but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Queretaro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Queretaro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,458 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Queretaro hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Queretaro 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 Queretaro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.