Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,058 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

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

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

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San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

San Juan del Sur $1,058
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in San Juan del Sur versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

San Juan del Sur $1,682
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,307 in San Juan del Sur versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

San Juan del Sur $2,307
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in San Juan del Sur costs roughly 60% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan del Sur is 22% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 NIO 153

$20.77 $20.77

-79.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.08 NIO 1,248

$84.6 $84.6

-59.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 NIO 204

$12.32 $12.32

-54.79%

Cappuccino

$2.56 NIO 93.7

$5.63 $5.63

-54.53%

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

$0.86 NIO 31.37

$3.72 $3.72

-76.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 25.02

$2.50 $2.50

-72.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NIO 53.8

$8.05 $8.05

-81.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$9.01 $9.01

-75.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 NIO 45.36

$1.12 $1.12

10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 NIO 55.9

$3.75 $3.75

-59.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NIO 43.56

$3.26 $3.26

-63.50%

Eggs

$2.44 NIO 89.2

$4.17 $4.17

-41.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 NIO 283

$12.90 $12.90

-40.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 NIO 225

$14.16 $14.16

-56.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 NIO 287

$16.22 $16.22

-51.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NIO 150

$4.33 $4.33

-5.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 NIO 22.71

$1.46 $1.46

-57.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$4.51 $4.51

-59.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 NIO 89.9

$4.34 $4.34

-43.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 NIO 114

$2.58 $2.58

20.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 79.9

$2.35 $2.35

-7.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 NIO 38.54

$1.78 $1.78

-41.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.52

$2.22 $2.22

-52.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 NIO 101

$9.88 $9.88

-72.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 NIO 357

$15.08 $15.08

-35.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$2.92 $2.92

-51.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.7

$3.46 $3.46

-36.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 NIO 58.0

$2.73 $2.73

-42.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NIO 60.3

$1.66 $1.66

-1.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 NIO 252

$35.30 $35.30

-80.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NIO 49.13

$0.95 $0.95

41.05%

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

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

$36.0K $36.0K

-36.62%

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

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

$27.1K $27.1K

-1.45%

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

$60.8 NIO 2,225

$229 $229

-73.47%

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

$10.32 NIO 378

$59.4 $59.4

-82.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.01 NIO 1,209

$69.9 $69.9

-52.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.51 NIO 1,118

$57.2 $57.2

-46.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$9.23 NIO 338

$14.28 $14.28

-35.36%

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

$233 NIO 8,530

$1,506 $1,506

-84.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

$21.5K $21.5K

-71.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 NIO 2,237

$52.8 $52.8

15.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 NIO 2,421

$43.82 $43.82

50.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,500

$84.8 $84.8

44.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 NIO 5,331

$103 $103

41.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 NIO 15.5K

$1,907 $1,907

-77.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 NIO 14.4K

$1,274 $1,274

-69.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NIO 34.1K

$3,664 $3,664

-74.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 NIO 29.2K

$2,538 $2,538

-68.58%

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)

$346 NIO 12.7K

$5,121 $5,121

-93.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

6.79

75.55%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 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 del Sur

$393 37.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 224% $881

Groceries & Markets

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 79.9% $180

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 28.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 244% $254

Eating Out

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 259% $255

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 75.2% $37

Getting Around

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 498% $49

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 $423 in San Juan del Sur and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1380% 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 San Juan del Sur vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $405 per month, with San Juan del Sur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h ahead of San Juan del Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,741

974,447

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan del Sur Austin, TX 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

San Juan del Sur wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Juan del Sur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1380% 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: $423 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $233 in San Juan del Sur 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 del Sur – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Juan del Sur but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan del Sur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Juan del Sur delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,058 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Juan del Sur hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Juan del Sur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.