Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel de Allende and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende: $1,641 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index
129

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

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San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in San Miguel de Allende versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

San Miguel de Allende $1,641
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in San Miguel de Allende versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

San Miguel de Allende $2,591
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,541 in San Miguel de Allende versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

San Miguel de Allende $3,541
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in San Miguel de Allende costs roughly 39% 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 Miguel de Allende 22% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.45 MX$284

$20.22 $20.22

-23.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.79 MX$786

$85.0 $85.0

-49.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$194

$12.35 $12.35

-14.57%

Cappuccino

$3.83 MX$70.3

$5.47 $5.47

-29.98%

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

$1.68 MX$30.81

$3.82 $3.82

-56.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.65

$2.50 $2.50

-57.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 MX$68.1

$8.06 $8.06

-53.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 MX$110

$8.99 $8.99

-33.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 MX$27.59

$1.13 $1.13

32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 MX$60.9

$3.78 $3.78

-12.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 MX$32.86

$3.25 $3.25

-44.92%

Eggs

$2.94 MX$53.9

$4.14 $4.14

-28.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 MX$154

$13.08 $13.08

-35.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 MX$229

$14.31 $14.31

-12.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 MX$345

$15.96 $15.96

17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 MX$73.2

$4.38 $4.38

-8.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.67

$1.45 $1.45

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 MX$52.8

$4.54 $4.54

-36.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 MX$52.6

$4.19 $4.19

-31.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 MX$47.06

$2.63 $2.63

-2.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 MX$57.8

$2.36 $2.36

33.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.18

$1.76 $1.76

-34.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.05

$2.16 $2.16

-39.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$79.2

$9.81 $9.81

-55.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.72 MX$307

$14.72 $14.72

13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 MX$44.97

$2.78 $2.78

-11.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 MX$72.5

$3.48 $3.48

13.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.49 $1.49

-61.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.61 MX$121

$40.51 $40.51

-83.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 MX$81.1

$2.67 $2.67

65.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.51 MX$82.7

$1.58 $1.58

185.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 MX$204

$35.29 $35.29

-68.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.31

$0.99 $0.99

50.51%

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

$21.3K MX$390.3K

$35.8K $35.8K

-40.62%

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

$24.6K MX$451.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-9.53%

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

$41.27 MX$758

$219 $219

-81.18%

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

$16.18 MX$297

$58.0 $58.0

-72.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.42 MX$761

$68.4 $68.4

-39.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.16 MX$682

$57.9 $57.9

-35.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.82 MX$786

$14.82 $14.82

188.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 MX$120

$14.13 $14.13

-53.64%

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

$361 MX$6,631

$1,509 $1,509

-76.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,936 MX$90.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

-76.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 MX$1,201

$51.7 $51.7

26.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 MX$1,136

$44.05 $44.05

40.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MX$2,106

$85.1 $85.1

34.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 MX$2,755

$105 $105

42.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 MX$20.1K

$1,932 $1,932

-43.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 MX$12.2K

$1,272 $1,272

-47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 MX$43.9K

$3,670 $3,670

-34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.2K

$2,525 $2,525

-45.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 MX$50.3K

$7,617 $7,617

-64.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,636 MX$30.0K

$3,199 $3,199

-48.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$627 MX$11.5K

$5,105 $5,105

-87.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.05

6.79

77.47%

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

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel de Allende

$663 40.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 91.9% $609

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel de Allende

$355 21.9%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 13.6% $48

Eating Out

San Miguel de Allende

$243 15%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 43.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel de Allende

$176 10.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 27% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel de Allende

$99 6.1%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 250% $247

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 71.4% $36

Getting Around

San Miguel de Allende

$36 2.2%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 59.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 715% 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: $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $403 per month, with San Miguel de Allende cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

01:57 1:57 AM

1 h ahead of San Miguel de Allende

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,452

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 = 20.59 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

San Miguel de Allende Austin, TX 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Miguel de Allende
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 Miguel de Allende vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Miguel de Allende wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Miguel de Allende the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 715% 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: $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende 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 $1,641 per month in San Miguel de Allende versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Miguel de Allende runs roughly 513% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,641 in San Miguel de Allende versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Miguel de Allende but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Miguel de Allende the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Miguel de Allende delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Miguel de Allende hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Miguel de Allende 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 Miguel de Allende gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.