Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thunder Bay and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Thunder Bay: $2,179 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index
130

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

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Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,179

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,179 in Thunder Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Thunder Bay $2,179
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Thunder Bay versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Thunder Bay $3,301
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,423 in Thunder Bay versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Thunder Bay $4,423
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Thunder Bay costs roughly 18% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thunder Bay 61% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$20.77 $20.77

-15.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 CA$84.9

$84.6 $84.6

-28.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 CA$17.57

$12.32 $12.32

0.89%

Cappuccino

$3.31 CA$4.68

$5.63 $5.63

-41.21%

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

$1.86 CA$2.63

$3.72 $3.72

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$2.50 $2.50

-37.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 CA$7.53

$8.05 $8.05

-33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 CA$7.04

$9.01 $9.01

-44.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 CA$3.23

$1.12 $1.12

103.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 CA$3.67

$3.75 $3.75

-30.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.71

$3.26 $3.26

2.15%

Eggs

$3.58 CA$5.06

$4.17 $4.17

-14.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.32 CA$23.08

$12.90 $12.90

26.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.86 CA$22.42

$14.16 $14.16

12.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 CA$22.94

$16.22 $16.22

0.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.68

$4.33 $4.33

-23.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.46 $1.46

-20.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$4.51 $4.51

-13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$4.34 $4.34

-19.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.58 $2.58

-3.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.35 $2.35

-9.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$1.78 $1.78

60.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.22

$2.22 $2.22

2.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.55 CA$14.92

$9.88 $9.88

6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 CA$12.62

$15.08 $15.08

-40.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 CA$2.85

$2.92 $2.92

-31.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.26

$3.46 $3.46

-13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.49 $1.49

50.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 CA$89.7

$41.72 $41.72

52.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$2.73 $2.73

83.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 CA$2.90

$1.66 $1.66

23.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.37 CA$48.58

$35.30 $35.30

-2.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$0.95 $0.95

24.21%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$36.0K $36.0K

-24.22%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

-30.17%

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

$160 CA$226

$229 $229

-30.32%

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

$56.8 CA$80.3

$59.4 $59.4

-4.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 CA$114

$69.9 $69.9

15.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.63 CA$40.48

$57.2 $57.2

-49.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.26 CA$24.41

$16.33 $16.33

5.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.28 CA$24.43

$14.28 $14.28

21.01%

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

$663 CA$937

$1,506 $1,506

-55.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 CA$109

$52.8 $52.8

45.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 CA$48.86

$43.82 $43.82

-21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 CA$108

$84.8 $84.8

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 CA$185

$103 $103

26.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 CA$1,471

$1,907 $1,907

-45.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 CA$1,308

$1,274 $1,274

-27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 CA$2,597

$3,664 $3,664

-49.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 CA$2,368

$2,538 $2,538

-34.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,601 CA$3,677

$5,121 $5,121

-49.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

6.79

-32.55%

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

Last update for Thunder Bay: 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

Thunder Bay

$925 42.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 37.7% $349

Groceries & Markets

Thunder Bay

$394 18.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 2.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thunder Bay

$297 13.6%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 20.6% $61

Eating Out

Thunder Bay

$268 12.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 32% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 10.7% $15

Getting Around

Thunder Bay

$88 4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 33.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Thunder Bay

$63 2.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 35.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,040 in Thunder Bay and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 97% 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: $60.0 in Thunder Bay vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $405 per month, with Thunder Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

1 h behind Thunder Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,909

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Thunder Bay Austin, TX 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Thunder Bay
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

Thunder Bay vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thunder Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Thunder Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 97% 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: $1,040 in Thunder Bay versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,179 per month in Thunder Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Thunder Bay runs roughly 52% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,179 in Thunder Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thunder Bay but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.