Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Austin, TX Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Austin, TX

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara, CA is 11.9% more expensive than Austin, TX without rent, and 36.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 18.3% more expensive than Austin, TX without rent, and 39.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.3 $25.3

$19.78 $19.78

27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$73.5 $73.5

38.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 $10.03

$10.19 $10.19

-1.57%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.71 $5.71

-1.40%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$2.76 $2.76

-3.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.18 $2.18

-6.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$5.89 $5.89

32.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.83 $7.83

15.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.1 $1.1

21.82%

White Bread (500g)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.4 $3.4

45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.44 $3.44

37.79%

Eggs

$5.4 $5.4

$4.31 $4.31

25.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.34 $12.34

$12.14 $12.14

1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 $11.54

$10.68 $10.68

8.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 $14.83

$14.65 $14.65

1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$6.31 $6.31

$5.01 $5.01

25.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.49 $1.49

28.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$4.6 $4.6

-18.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.4 $5.4

$4.12 $4.12

31.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.86 $2.86

15.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.78 $2.78

11.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.03 $2.03

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2 $2

$2.17 $2.17

-7.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.87 $12.87

$8.75 $8.75

47.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$14.82 $14.82

1.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.7 $1.7

$2.27 $2.27

-25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.55 $3.55

10.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.49 $1.49

16.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 $65.1

$43.58 $43.58

49.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.49 $4.49

34.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.75 $1.75

19.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52 $52

$34.6 $34.6

50.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.77 $0.77

63.64%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

10.60%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$25.9K $25.9K

-2.32%

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

$205 $205

$170 $170

20.24%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$58.7 $58.7

-9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.7 $71.7

$65.1 $65.1

10.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.3 $67.3

$61.4 $61.4

9.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.61 $18.61

$9.86 $9.86

88.74%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 $12.68

$14.8 $14.8

-14.32%

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

$1,446 $1,446

$1,411 $1,411

2.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.8K $21.8K

67.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 $69.3

$54.9 $54.9

26.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.52 $40.52

$45.89 $45.89

-11.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$84.9 $84.9

-10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$116 $116

21.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$2,204 $2,204

20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,273 $2,273

$1,416 $1,416

60.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,143 $5,143

$3,826 $3,826

34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,348 $4,348

$2,699 $2,699

61.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$4,496 $4,496

137.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10K $10K

$3,115 $3,115

222.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,255 $5,255

$4,958 $4,958

5.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.45

3.57%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: November 4, 2025

Last update for Austin, TX: November 4, 2025

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