Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Jamaica and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,291 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
128

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

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Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,291

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,291 in Santa Cruz versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Santa Cruz $1,291
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Santa Cruz versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Santa Cruz $1,999
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,708 in Santa Cruz versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Santa Cruz $2,708
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Santa Cruz costs roughly 52% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz is 5% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.40 JMD 1,167

$21.34 $21.34

-65.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 9,993

$87.9 $87.9

-27.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.75 JMD 1,065

$12.44 $12.44

-45.74%

Cappuccino

$5.47 JMD 863

$5.60 $5.60

-2.32%

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

$1.14 JMD 181

$3.65 $3.65

-68.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$2.39 $2.39

-69.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 JMD 337

$7.82 $7.82

-72.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 JMD 505

$8.75 $8.75

-63.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.25 JMD 671

$1.12 $1.12

279.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 JMD 413

$3.62 $3.62

-27.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 250

$3.50 $3.50

-54.57%

Eggs

$3.64 JMD 575

$4.45 $4.45

-18.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 JMD 1,805

$13.18 $13.18

-13.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 JMD 964

$13.94 $13.94

-56.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.32 JMD 1,628

$16.46 $16.46

-37.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 JMD 930

$4.73 $4.73

24.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$1.50 $1.50

158.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.54 JMD 1,190

$4.64 $4.64

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 JMD 469

$4.52 $4.52

-34.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 JMD 522

$2.55 $2.55

29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 412

$2.39 $2.39

9.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 478

$1.84 $1.84

64.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 225

$2.13 $2.13

-32.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 JMD 1,445

$10.05 $10.05

-8.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 JMD 1,783

$14.88 $14.88

-24.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 JMD 444

$2.82 $2.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 JMD 643

$3.29 $3.29

24.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 JMD 382

$2.68 $2.68

-9.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 503

$1.63 $1.63

95.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 JMD 1,018

$35.20 $35.20

-81.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$0.98 $0.98

50.00%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$34.4K $34.4K

28.10%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$26.8K $26.8K

20.18%

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

$167 JMD 26.3K

$252 $252

-33.98%

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

$29.71 JMD 4,688

$59.8 $59.8

-50.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.1 JMD 8,226

$69.7 $69.7

-25.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.49 JMD 5,916

$60.4 $60.4

-37.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 JMD 2,123

$13.75 $13.75

-2.18%

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

$364 JMD 57.5K

$1,458 $1,458

-75.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K JMD 2.8M

$26.6K $26.6K

-33.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.31 JMD 3,678

$52.6 $52.6

-55.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 JMD 4,938

$45.76 $45.76

-31.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$85.5 $85.5

-10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$106 $106

-1.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 JMD 49.2K

$1,269 $1,269

-75.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 JMD 80.2K

$2,406 $2,406

-78.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 JMD 64.3K

$5,043 $5,043

-91.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

6.82

38.56%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: November 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$372 28.9%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 9.4% $35

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$312 24.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 307% $957

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$248 19.2%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 53.7% $133

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$170 13.1%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 110% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 23.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$64 5%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 36.4% $23

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$18 * 1.4%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 211% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Santa Cruz vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $407 per month, with Santa Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

1 h behind Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,217

974,447

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Austin, TX 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Santa Cruz. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $364 in Santa Cruz versus $1,458 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 Santa Cruz – a meal for two runs $63 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,291 in Santa Cruz versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz 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.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Cruz wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.