Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $857 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index
129

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

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Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$857

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Sal versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Sal $857
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,347 in Sal versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Sal $1,347
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,836 in Sal versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Sal $1,836
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Sal costs roughly 68% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sal is 36% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.71 CVE 562

$20.22 $20.22

-71.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.45 CVE 4,571

$85.0 $85.0

-45.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 CVE 1,122

$12.35 $12.35

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$2.27 CVE 223

$5.47 $5.47

-58.50%

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

$2.69 CVE 265

$3.82 $3.82

-29.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 CVE 113

$2.50 $2.50

-54.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 CVE 443

$8.06 $8.06

-44.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CVE 309

$8.99 $8.99

-65.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 CVE 159

$1.13 $1.13

42.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 CVE 218

$3.78 $3.78

-41.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 CVE 119

$3.25 $3.25

-62.77%

Eggs

$2.98 CVE 293

$4.14 $4.14

-28.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 CVE 936

$13.08 $13.08

-27.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 CVE 751

$14.31 $14.31

-46.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 CVE 1,628

$15.96 $15.96

3.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 CVE 322

$4.38 $4.38

-25.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 CVE 238

$1.45 $1.45

66.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CVE 321

$4.54 $4.54

-28.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 CVE 396

$4.19 $4.19

-3.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 CVE 172

$2.63 $2.63

-33.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 CVE 186

$2.36 $2.36

-19.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 CVE 155

$1.76 $1.76

-10.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CVE 114

$2.16 $2.16

-46.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 CVE 447

$9.81 $9.81

-53.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 CVE 671

$14.72 $14.72

-53.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.01 CVE 395

$2.78 $2.78

44.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 CVE 183

$3.48 $3.48

-46.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 CVE 103

$1.49 $1.49

-29.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 CVE 206

$2.67 $2.67

-21.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 CVE 312

$1.58 $1.58

100.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 CVE 1,252

$35.29 $35.29

-63.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CVE 132

$0.99 $0.99

35.35%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

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

$27.2K $27.2K

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

$62.3 CVE 6,132

$219 $219

-71.58%

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

$58.0 $58.0

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 CVE 4,945

$68.4 $68.4

-26.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 CVE 2,782

$57.9 $57.9

-51.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

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

$115 CVE 11.3K

$1,509 $1,509

-92.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.89 CVE 3,040

$51.7 $51.7

-40.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 CVE 14.2K

$105 $105

36.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 CVE 25.6K

$1,932 $1,932

-86.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 CVE 17.0K

$1,272 $1,272

-86.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 CVE 29.9K

$3,670 $3,670

-91.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 CVE 20.5K

$2,525 $2,525

-91.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$672 CVE 66.1K

$7,617 $7,617

-91.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$341 CVE 33.5K

$3,199 $3,199

-89.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 CVE 25.0K

$5,105 $5,105

-95.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

6.79

-22.68%

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

Last update for Sal: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sal

$302 34.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 33.4% $101

Accommodation & Living

Sal

$172 19.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 638% $1.1K

Eating Out

Sal

$151 17.4%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 130% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sal

$113 * 13%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 207% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Sal

$79 * 9.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 63.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Sal

$28 * 3.3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 205% $58

Getting Around

Sal

$22 * 2.6%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 158% $35

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 $260 in Sal and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1910% 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: $46.00 in Sal vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $403 per month, with Sal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Sal

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

4 h behind Sal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,288

974,447

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.4 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

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

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sal Austin, TX 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sal
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

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

Sal wins on cost – living expenses run 215% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1910% 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: $260 in Sal versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $115 in Sal versus $1,509 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 Sal – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $857 in Sal versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sal but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sal 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, Sal 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 Sal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 215% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.