Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sault Ste. Marie and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie: $2,059 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index
129

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

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Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Sault Ste. Marie $2,059
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,008 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,008
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,956 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,956
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Sault Ste. Marie costs roughly 24% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sault Ste. Marie 52% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.17 CA$24.28

$20.63 $20.63

-16.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$99.8

$84.6 $84.6

-16.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 CA$14.46

$12.07 $12.07

-15.24%

Cappuccino

$3.47 CA$4.90

$5.48 $5.48

-36.68%

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

$1.64 CA$2.32

$3.80 $3.80

-56.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$2.47 $2.47

-45.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 CA$6.62

$8.05 $8.05

-41.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$8.88 $8.88

-43.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$1.11 $1.11

118.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$3.72 $3.72

-42.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CA$4.63

$3.37 $3.37

-2.97%

Eggs

$2.98 CA$4.22

$4.32 $4.32

-31.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 CA$11.76

$13.13 $13.13

-36.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 CA$14.10

$14.15 $14.15

-29.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 CA$14.86

$16.33 $16.33

-35.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.55 $4.55

-30.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.40

$1.46 $1.46

-32.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$4.71 $4.71

-35.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.01

$4.15 $4.15

-14.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 CA$2.79

$2.58 $2.58

-23.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$2.35 $2.35

-28.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$1.77 $1.77

56.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$2.14 $2.14

-40.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.75 CA$22.26

$10.10 $10.10

55.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 CA$15.08

$15.19 $15.19

-29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.60

$2.82 $2.82

-34.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.23

$3.44 $3.44

-33.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.16

$1.54 $1.54

45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 CA$81.2

$40.99 $40.99

40.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.80 $2.80

23.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$1.60 $1.60

44.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.97 CA$32.47

$34.34 $34.34

-33.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.52

$0.94 $0.94

14.89%

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

$26.5K CA$37.5K

$34.0K $34.0K

-22.04%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$26.8K $26.8K

-24.29%

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

$174 CA$246

$223 $223

-21.74%

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

$44.36 CA$62.7

$58.9 $58.9

-24.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 CA$108

$70.6 $70.6

8.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 CA$71.0

$57.7 $57.7

-12.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.90

$16.53 $16.53

6.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 CA$15.80

$14.26 $14.26

-21.60%

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

$1,511 $1,511

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,984 CA$7,046

$20.9K $20.9K

-76.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.63 CA$64.5

$51.3 $51.3

-11.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 CA$50.3

$44.17 $44.17

-19.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 CA$106

$87.0 $87.0

-14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 CA$170

$104 $104

15.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$1,940 $1,940

-53.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 CA$1,316

$1,316 $1,316

-29.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 CA$1,873

$3,664 $3,664

-63.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 CA$2,057

$2,565 $2,565

-43.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 CA$2,640

$7,354 $7,354

-74.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,432 CA$7,679

$3,129 $3,129

73.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,310

$5,286 $5,286

-42.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

6.79

-18.56%

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

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 41.3% $385

Groceries & Markets

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 35.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 19.3% $57

Eating Out

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 37.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 3.8% $4.8

Getting Around

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 28.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 18.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $893 in Sault Ste. Marie and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 73% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $406 per month, with Sault Ste. Marie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

1 h behind Sault Ste. Marie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,368

974,447

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Sault Ste. Marie Austin, TX 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sault Ste. Marie
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

Sault Ste. Marie vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sault Ste. Marie wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sault Ste. Marie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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: $893 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Sault Ste. Marie runs roughly 40% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sault Ste. Marie but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sault Ste. Marie 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.

Expats usually find Sault Ste. Marie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.