Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,546 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
129

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

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,546 in Santa Teresa versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Santa Teresa $1,546
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,318 in Santa Teresa versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Santa Teresa $2,318
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,090 in Santa Teresa versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Santa Teresa $3,090
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Santa Teresa costs roughly 43% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Teresa 14% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 ₡4,519

$20.63 $20.63

-51.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₡19.5K

$84.6 $84.6

-48.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 ₡4,144

$12.07 $12.07

-23.45%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₡1,673

$5.48 $5.48

-31.93%

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

$1.97 ₡883

$3.80 $3.80

-48.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₡745

$2.47 $2.47

-32.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 ₡1,344

$8.05 $8.05

-62.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 ₡2,055

$8.88 $8.88

-48.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡887

$1.11 $1.11

78.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 ₡1,301

$3.72 $3.72

-22.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 ₡990

$3.37 $3.37

-34.42%

Eggs

$2.93 ₡1,312

$4.32 $4.32

-32.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 ₡4,446

$13.13 $13.13

-24.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 ₡4,173

$14.15 $14.15

-34.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 ₡6,116

$16.33 $16.33

-16.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 ₡2,068

$4.55 $4.55

1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡681

$1.46 $1.46

4.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 ₡1,898

$4.71 $4.71

-10.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,377

$4.15 $4.15

-26.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 ₡1,437

$2.58 $2.58

24.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ₡1,180

$2.35 $2.35

11.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₡466

$1.77 $1.77

-41.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,258

$2.14 $2.14

31.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₡2,277

$10.10 $10.10

-49.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 ₡6,368

$15.19 $15.19

-6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,058

$2.82 $2.82

-16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,149

$3.44 $3.44

-25.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 ₡449

$1.54 $1.54

-35.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡810

$2.80 $2.80

-35.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 ₡837

$1.60 $1.60

16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.00 ₡3,589

$34.34 $34.34

-76.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡652

$0.94 $0.94

54.26%

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

$37.2K ₡16.7M

$34.0K $34.0K

9.39%

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

$32.8K ₡14.7M

$26.8K $26.8K

22.54%

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

$84.7 ₡38.0K

$223 $223

-61.98%

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

$26.18 ₡11.7K

$58.9 $58.9

-55.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.65 ₡22.3K

$70.6 $70.6

-29.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 ₡22.7K

$57.7 $57.7

-12.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 ₡10.8K

$16.53 $16.53

45.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ₡3,976

$14.26 $14.26

-37.80%

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

$573 ₡256.9K

$1,511 $1,511

-62.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡5.6M

$20.9K $20.9K

-39.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ₡28.2K

$51.3 $51.3

22.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 ₡22.9K

$44.17 $44.17

15.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡56.9K

$87.0 $87.0

45.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.9K

$104 $104

2.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 ₡314.1K

$1,940 $1,940

-63.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₡271.4K

$1,316 $1,316

-54.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 ₡655.5K

$3,664 $3,664

-60.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 ₡435.0K

$2,565 $2,565

-62.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

6.79

49.78%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 118% $711

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 16.3% $57

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 82.5% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 119% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 17.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 26.2% $18

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 283% $43

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 $700 in Santa Teresa and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Santa Teresa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $406 per month, with Santa Teresa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

974,447

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Teresa Austin, TX 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Teresa wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Teresa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,319 in Santa Teresa and $4,046 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: $700 in Santa Teresa versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $573 in Santa Teresa versus $1,511 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 Teresa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,546 in Santa Teresa versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Teresa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Teresa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Teresa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,546 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Teresa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Santa Teresa 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 Santa Teresa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.