Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo, Ecuador and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $717 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
Learn more

Santo Domingo Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$717

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $717 in Santo Domingo versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Santo Domingo $717
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,187 in Santo Domingo versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Santo Domingo $1,187
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,658 in Santo Domingo versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Santo Domingo $1,658
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Santo Domingo costs roughly 73% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santo Domingo is 47% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 $3.93

$21.34 $21.34

-81.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.94 $49.94

$87.9 $87.9

-43.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 $8.88

$12.44 $12.44

-28.62%

Cappuccino

$1.99 $1.99

$5.60 $5.60

-64.46%

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

$0.91 $0.91

$3.65 $3.65

-75.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 $0.64

$2.39 $2.39

-73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$7.82 $7.82

-74.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 $4.31

$8.75 $8.75

-50.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.12 $1.12

-13.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.62 $3.62

-44.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$3.50 $3.50

-63.14%

Eggs

$1.98 $1.98

$4.45 $4.45

-55.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$13.18 $13.18

-67.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$13.94 $13.94

-78.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$16.46 $16.46

-78.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$4.73 $4.73

-68.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.50 $1.50

-34.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$4.64 $4.64

-79.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$4.52 $4.52

-78.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.55 $2.55

-61.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.39 $2.39

-60.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.84 $1.84

-52.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.13 $2.13

-55.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 $5.98

$10.05 $10.05

-40.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.88 $4.88

$14.88 $14.88

-67.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.82 $2.82

-44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.29 $3.29

-34.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$1.23 $1.23

-69.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.68 $2.68

3.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.63 $1.63

-6.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.79 $11.79

$35.20 $35.20

-66.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.98 $0.98

-17.35%

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

$23.2K $23.2K

$34.4K $34.4K

-32.49%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

13.26%

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

$33.67 $33.67

$252 $252

-86.65%

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

$9.85 $9.85

$59.8 $59.8

-83.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.37 $23.37

$69.7 $69.7

-66.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.36 $34.36

$60.4 $60.4

-43.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.41 $17.41

$18.14 $18.14

-4.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 $7.56

$13.75 $13.75

-45.02%

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

$376 $376

$1,458 $1,458

-74.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,289 $9,289

$26.6K $26.6K

-65.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.80 $19.80

$52.6 $52.6

-62.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.96 $29.96

$45.76 $45.76

-34.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.0 $51.0

$85.5 $85.5

-40.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.65 $49.65

$106 $106

-53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 $429

$2,195 $2,195

-80.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 $269

$1,269 $1,269

-78.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$4,000 $4,000

-79.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 $511

$2,406 $2,406

-78.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.0K $10.0K

$2,964 $2,964

237.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$406 $406

$5,043 $5,043

-91.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

6.82

47.36%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: November 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$269 37.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 371% $999

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$145 20.2%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 182% $263

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$107 14.9%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 233% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 92.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 471% $315

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$49 6.9%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 77.6% $38

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$12 * 1.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 384% $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 $429 in Santo Domingo and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $50 in Santo Domingo vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $407 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

1 h behind Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,875

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Austin, TX 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santo Domingo
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

Santo Domingo vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santo Domingo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Santo Domingo. 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: $429 in Santo Domingo versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $376 in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo – a meal for two runs $50 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $717 in Santo Domingo versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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 – Santo Domingo wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.