Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,318 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
129

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

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San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,318

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,318 in San Rafael versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

San Rafael $1,318
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in San Rafael versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

San Rafael $2,096
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,875 in San Rafael versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

San Rafael $2,875
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in San Rafael costs roughly 51% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Rafael is 2% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.20 ARS 17.0K

$20.22 $20.22

-44.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.65 ARS 75.3K

$85.0 $85.0

-41.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.69 ARS 22.3K

$12.35 $12.35

18.95%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ARS 6,580

$5.47 $5.47

-20.66%

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

$2.42 ARS 3,663

$3.82 $3.82

-36.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ARS 3,006

$2.50 $2.50

-20.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 ARS 5,969

$8.06 $8.06

-51.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ARS 6,701

$8.99 $8.99

-50.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,046

$1.13 $1.13

19.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,435

$3.78 $3.78

-39.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ARS 4,052

$3.25 $3.25

-17.85%

Eggs

$3.18 ARS 4,820

$4.14 $4.14

-23.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 ARS 22.1K

$13.08 $13.08

11.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 ARS 9,418

$14.31 $14.31

-56.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ARS 16.9K

$15.96 $15.96

-30.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 ARS 3,604

$4.38 $4.38

-45.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ARS 3,347

$1.45 $1.45

52.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ARS 2,048

$4.54 $4.54

-70.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 ARS 5,012

$4.19 $4.19

-21.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,055

$2.63 $2.63

-23.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,203

$2.36 $2.36

-38.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 ARS 2,935

$1.76 $1.76

10.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 ARS 3,725

$2.16 $2.16

13.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ARS 4,279

$9.81 $9.81

-71.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.05 ARS 7,656

$14.72 $14.72

-65.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,625

$2.78 $2.78

-37.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ARS 4,619

$3.48 $3.48

-12.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 ARS 1,513

$1.49 $1.49

-32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ARS 2,966

$2.67 $2.67

-26.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,540

$1.58 $1.58

-35.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 ARS 7,412

$35.29 $35.29

-86.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ARS 1,929

$0.99 $0.99

28.28%

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

$26.6K ARS 40.4M

$35.8K $35.8K

-25.57%

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

$32.6K ARS 49.4M

$27.2K $27.2K

19.91%

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

$135 ARS 205.3K

$219 $219

-38.27%

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

$17.43 ARS 26.4K

$58.0 $58.0

-69.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.44 ARS 35.6K

$68.4 $68.4

-65.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.21 ARS 47.3K

$57.9 $57.9

-46.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 ARS 10.5K

$14.13 $14.13

-51.10%

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

$177 ARS 268.1K

$1,509 $1,509

-88.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,090 ARS 6.2M

$21.5K $21.5K

-80.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 ARS 175.9K

$51.7 $51.7

124.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$125 ARS 188.9K

$44.05 $44.05

182.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 ARS 206.8K

$85.1 $85.1

60.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ARS 189.8K

$105 $105

18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 740.9K

$1,932 $1,932

-74.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ARS 482.7K

$1,272 $1,272

-74.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 ARS 1.4M

$3,670 $3,670

-74.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ARS 1.1M

$2,525 $2,525

-71.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

768.92%

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

Last update for San Rafael: October 5, 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 Rafael

$318 24.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 300% $954

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$286 22.1%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 41% $117

Eating Out

San Rafael

$232 17.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 50.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$226 17.5%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 43% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$176 13.6%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 96.1% $169

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$45 3.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 91.3% $41

Getting Around

San Rafael

$11 * 0.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 417% $46

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 $489 in San Rafael and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in San Rafael vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $403 per month, with San Rafael cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

2 h behind San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,850

974,447

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

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

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Rafael Austin, TX 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Rafael wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Rafael the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,978 in San Rafael and $4,055 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: $489 in San Rafael versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $177 in San Rafael 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 San Rafael – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,318 in San Rafael versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Rafael but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes San Rafael 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, San Rafael 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 Rafael gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.