Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
128

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

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Spanish Town versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Spanish Town $1,009
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,919 in Spanish Town versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Spanish Town $1,919
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,828 in Spanish Town versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Spanish Town $2,828
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Spanish Town costs roughly 62% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Spanish Town is 25% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 JMD 2,162

$21.34 $21.34

-35.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 JMD 11.7K

$87.9 $87.9

-15.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 JMD 1,291

$12.44 $12.44

-34.24%

Cappuccino

$5.37 JMD 847

$5.60 $5.60

-4.11%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$3.65 $3.65

-67.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$2.39 $2.39

-69.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 JMD 338

$7.82 $7.82

-72.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 483

$8.75 $8.75

-65.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.18 JMD 659

$1.12 $1.12

273.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 595

$3.62 $3.62

4.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 JMD 246

$3.50 $3.50

-55.43%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 567

$4.45 $4.45

-19.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 JMD 1,775

$13.18 $13.18

-14.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 JMD 996

$13.94 $13.94

-54.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 JMD 1,636

$16.46 $16.46

-37.00%

Apples (1kg)

$6.08 JMD 959

$4.73 $4.73

28.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.99 JMD 629

$1.50 $1.50

166.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.50 JMD 1,184

$4.64 $4.64

61.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 JMD 476

$4.52 $4.52

-33.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 JMD 508

$2.55 $2.55

26.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 JMD 322

$2.39 $2.39

-14.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 JMD 477

$1.84 $1.84

64.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 JMD 236

$2.13 $2.13

-29.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.31 JMD 1,469

$10.05 $10.05

-7.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 JMD 1,760

$14.88 $14.88

-25.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 JMD 463

$2.82 $2.82

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 JMD 637

$3.29 $3.29

22.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 JMD 194

$2.68 $2.68

-54.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 506

$1.63 $1.63

96.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 JMD 1,010

$35.20 $35.20

-81.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$0.98 $0.98

50.00%

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

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

$34.4K $34.4K

28.77%

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

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

$26.8K $26.8K

22.88%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$252 $252

-32.95%

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

$29.68 JMD 4,683

$59.8 $59.8

-50.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 JMD 8,276

$69.7 $69.7

-24.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 JMD 2,109

$13.75 $13.75

-2.76%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$1,458 $1,458

-75.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,206 JMD 1.3M

$26.6K $26.6K

-69.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.32 JMD 3,679

$52.6 $52.6

-55.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.29 JMD 4,937

$45.76 $45.76

-31.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 JMD 12.4K

$85.5 $85.5

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$106 $106

-3.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 JMD 101.3K

$4,000 $4,000

-83.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 JMD 79.5K

$2,406 $2,406

-79.05%

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)

$1,182 JMD 186.5K

$5,043 $5,043

-76.56%

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 Spanish Town: 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

Spanish Town

$385 38.1%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 5.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$251 24.9%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 51.9% $130

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$223 22.1%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 59.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$106 10.5%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 23.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.7%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 229% $61

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 232% $40

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Spanish Town vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $407 per month, with Spanish Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

1 h behind Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

974,447

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Spanish Town Austin, TX 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Spanish Town
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

Spanish Town vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spanish Town wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Spanish Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Spanish Town. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $355 in Spanish Town 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 Spanish Town – a meal for two runs $74 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Spanish Town 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.

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