Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salento and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Salento: $797 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Salento
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Salento Living Index
128

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

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Salento

🇨🇴 Colombia

$797

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $797 in Salento versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Salento $797
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,212 in Salento versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Salento $1,212
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,627 in Salento versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Salento $1,627
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Salento costs roughly 70% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Salento is 41% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 COP 12.4K

$21.34 $21.34

-81.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.41 COP 75.6K

$87.9 $87.9

-73.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 COP 24.1K

$12.44 $12.44

-40.11%

Cappuccino

$1.56 COP 5,051

$5.60 $5.60

-72.14%

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

$0.93 COP 3,000

$3.65 $3.65

-74.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 COP 1,847

$2.39 $2.39

-76.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 COP 3,682

$7.82 $7.82

-85.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 COP 6,923

$8.75 $8.75

-75.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 COP 3,584

$1.12 $1.12

-0.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 COP 4,214

$3.62 $3.62

-64.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 COP 3,692

$3.50 $3.50

-67.43%

Eggs

$2.14 COP 6,918

$4.45 $4.45

-51.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.56 COP 14.7K

$13.18 $13.18

-65.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 COP 17.5K

$13.94 $13.94

-61.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 COP 24.0K

$16.46 $16.46

-54.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 COP 7,960

$4.73 $4.73

-47.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 COP 3,519

$1.50 $1.50

-27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,211

$4.64 $4.64

-71.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,573

$4.52 $4.52

-75.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 COP 3,716

$2.55 $2.55

-54.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,666

$2.39 $2.39

-52.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 COP 2,818

$1.84 $1.84

-52.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 COP 2,087

$2.13 $2.13

-69.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 COP 7,590

$10.05 $10.05

-76.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.34 COP 30.2K

$14.88 $14.88

-37.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,497

$2.82 $2.82

-61.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 COP 5,607

$3.29 $3.29

-47.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 COP 2,224

$1.23 $1.23

-43.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 COP 96.0K

$41.43 $41.43

-28.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 COP 4,783

$2.68 $2.68

-44.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 COP 5,494

$1.63 $1.63

4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 COP 19.6K

$35.20 $35.20

-82.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 COP 3,086

$0.98 $0.98

-2.04%

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

$17.7K COP 57.3M

$34.4K $34.4K

-48.41%

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

$25.0K COP 80.9M

$26.8K $26.8K

-6.59%

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

$83.6 COP 269.9K

$252 $252

-66.87%

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

$8.89 COP 28.7K

$59.8 $59.8

-85.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.56 COP 72.9K

$69.7 $69.7

-67.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.36 COP 75.5K

$60.4 $60.4

-61.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$4.04 COP 13.1K

$13.75 $13.75

-70.62%

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

$242 COP 782.8K

$1,458 $1,458

-83.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,913 COP 19.1M

$26.6K $26.6K

-77.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 COP 186.7K

$52.6 $52.6

9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 COP 105.3K

$45.76 $45.76

-28.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 COP 273.1K

$85.5 $85.5

-1.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 COP 238.1K

$106 $106

-30.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 COP 885.0K

$2,195 $2,195

-87.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 COP 755.2K

$1,269 $1,269

-81.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 COP 1.7M

$4,000 $4,000

-86.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 COP 1.3M

$2,406 $2,406

-82.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,417 COP 4.6M

$7,381 $7,381

-80.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 COP 3.5M

$2,964 $2,964

-63.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.06

6.82

91.50%

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

Last update for Salento: October 31, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salento

$234 29.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 443% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Salento

$175 21.9%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 133% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salento

$115 14.4%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 232% $267

Clothing & Footwear

Salento

$112 14%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 16.5% $18

Eating Out

Salento

$88 11%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 305% $268

Getting Around

Salento

$42 5.3%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 34.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Salento

$31 4%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 179% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Salento and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Salento vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $407 per month, with Salento cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Salento

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

23:37 11:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

1 h behind Salento

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,748

974,447

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salento Austin, TX 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Salento
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

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

Salento wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Salento the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,196 in Salento and $4,034 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $274 in Salento versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $797 per month in Salento versus $2,689 in Austin, TX – Salento is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Salento runs roughly 28% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $797 in Salento versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Salento but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Salento 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 Salento gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.