Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe, NM and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $2,894 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Fe, NM outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

142

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index
130

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

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Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,894

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,894 in Santa Fe, NM versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Santa Fe, NM $2,894
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,911 in Santa Fe, NM versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Santa Fe, NM $3,911
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,928 in Santa Fe, NM versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Santa Fe, NM $4,928
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Santa Fe, NM is roughly 9% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Fe, NM 114% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 $16.86

$20.77 $20.77

-18.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 $67.0

$84.6 $84.6

-20.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$12.32 $12.32

-17.78%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$5.63 $5.63

-10.12%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$3.72 $3.72

-24.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.50 $2.50

-2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$8.05 $8.05

-25.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 $6.87

$9.01 $9.01

-23.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.12 $1.12

-10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.75 $3.75

-16.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$3.26 $3.26

37.73%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.17 $4.17

3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 $11.69

$12.90 $12.90

-9.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 $9.59

$14.16 $14.16

-32.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 $17.08

$16.22 $16.22

5.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.33 $4.33

10.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.46 $1.46

2.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.51 $4.51

-13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$4.34 $4.34

3.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.58 $2.58

20.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.35 $2.35

-11.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.78 $1.78

15.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.22 $2.22

14.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 $10.44

$9.88 $9.88

5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 $15.87

$15.08 $15.08

5.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.92 $2.92

-29.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.46 $3.46

6.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.73 $2.73

34.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.66 $1.66

21.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.18 $32.18

$35.30 $35.30

-8.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.95 $0.95

7.37%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$36.0K $36.0K

-13.20%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$27.1K $27.1K

-6.99%

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

$159 $159

$229 $229

-30.38%

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

$44.72 $44.72

$59.4 $59.4

-24.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.1 $72.1

$69.9 $69.9

3.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.5 $85.5

$57.2 $57.2

49.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$13.02 $13.02

$14.28 $14.28

-8.82%

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

$1,359 $1,359

$1,506 $1,506

-9.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$21.5K $21.5K

-27.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$52.8 $52.8

4.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.36 $44.36

$43.82 $43.82

1.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 $78.7

$84.8 $84.8

-7.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$103 $103

14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$1,907 $1,907

19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,274 $1,274

32.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,511 $3,511

$3,664 $3,664

-4.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 $2,271

$2,538 $2,538

-10.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,793 $6,793

$7,614 $7,614

-10.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,075 $4,075

$3,157 $3,157

29.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 $3,776

$5,121 $5,121

-26.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.79

-3.24%

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

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 58.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 24.4% $410

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe, NM

$384 13.3%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 5.5% $21

Eating Out

Santa Fe, NM

$291 10.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 21.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe, NM

$276 9.6%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 29.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe, NM

$133 4.6%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 4.1% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe, NM

$112 3.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 23.1% $26

Getting Around

Santa Fe, NM

$14 * 0.5%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 328% $45

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 $2,270 in Santa Fe, NM and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Santa Fe, NM vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $405 per month, with Santa Fe, NM cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Fe, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,505

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Fe, NM Austin, TX 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Santa Fe, NM. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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: $2,270 in Santa Fe, NM versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,359 in Santa Fe, NM 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 Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $67.0 in Santa Fe, NM. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Santa Fe, NM. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.