Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,684 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
130

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

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,684 in San Juan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

San Juan $1,684
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,772 in San Juan versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

San Juan $2,772
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,861 in San Juan versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

San Juan $3,861
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in San Juan costs roughly 37% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan 25% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,541

$20.77 $20.77

-40.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$84.6 $84.6

-27.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,139

$12.32 $12.32

-6.98%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,982

$5.63 $5.63

-21.49%

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

$2.77 ₡1,240

$3.72 $3.72

-25.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$2.50 $2.50

-22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,483

$8.05 $8.05

-58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡1,996

$9.01 $9.01

-50.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,052

$1.12 $1.12

108.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,425

$3.75 $3.75

-15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.26 $3.26

-23.01%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,551

$4.17 $4.17

-17.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,782

$12.90 $12.90

-17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₡4,633

$14.16 $14.16

-27.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,233

$16.22 $16.22

-14.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,230

$4.33 $4.33

14.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.46 $1.46

8.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ₡2,079

$4.51 $4.51

2.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,771

$4.34 $4.34

-8.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,731

$2.58 $2.58

49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,684

$2.35 $2.35

59.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡479

$1.78 $1.78

-39.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,379

$2.22 $2.22

38.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,691

$9.88 $9.88

-39.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.72 ₡8,844

$15.08 $15.08

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,236

$2.92 $2.92

-5.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,654

$3.46 $3.46

6.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡614

$1.49 $1.49

-8.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,079

$2.73 $2.73

-11.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.66 $1.66

-7.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 ₡3,849

$35.30 $35.30

-75.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$0.95 $0.95

63.16%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.0K $36.0K

-39.99%

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

$34.9K ₡15.6M

$27.1K $27.1K

28.78%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$229 $229

-57.92%

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

$35.06 ₡15.7K

$59.4 $59.4

-40.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 ₡26.6K

$69.9 $69.9

-15.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.0K

$57.2 $57.2

16.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$14.28 $14.28

-47.48%

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

$1,001 ₡449.1K

$1,506 $1,506

-33.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$21.5K $21.5K

-21.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ₡31.8K

$52.8 $52.8

34.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.8K

$43.82 $43.82

26.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.6K

$84.8 $84.8

48.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.2K

$103 $103

30.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₡321.3K

$1,907 $1,907

-62.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₡266.1K

$1,274 $1,274

-53.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₡829.6K

$3,664 $3,664

-49.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₡621.4K

$2,538 $2,538

-45.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$593 35.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 115% $681

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$398 23.6%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 1.7% $6.6

Eating Out

San Juan

$231 13.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 53.5% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.3%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 87.8% $168

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$174 10.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 26.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 4.7% $3.9

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 276% $43

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 $717 in San Juan and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Juan vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $405 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

1 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Austin, TX 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

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

San Juan wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Juan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,526 in San Juan and $3,995 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: $717 in San Juan versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Juan 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 San Juan – 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 $1,684 in San Juan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Juan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,684 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Juan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Juan 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 San Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.