Los Angeles vs Austin Cost of Living

Los Angeles (United States) · Overall index 84.3Austin (United States) · Overall index 70.9

Summary

  • Overall, Austin is 16% cheaper than Los Angeles.
  • Rent in Austin is 36% cheaper than in Los Angeles.
  • Utilities & household in Austin is 13% cheaper than in Los Angeles.
ItemLos AngelesAustinDiff
Rent-36%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$3,015$1,819-40%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,094$1,426-32%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$5,390$3,531-34%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$3,727$2,256-39%
Groceries-9%
Milk (1L)$1.22$1.27+4%
White bread (500g)$4.23$3.66-13%
Rice (1kg)$5.36$4.82-10%
Eggs (12)$4.45$4.39-1%
Local cheese (1kg)$12.9$11.1-14%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$13.9$10-28%
Beef round (1kg)$19.4$15.8-19%
Apples (1kg)$5.63$5.26-7%
Bananas (1kg)$2.08$1.75-16%
Oranges (1kg)$4.73$4.2-11%
Tomatoes (1kg)$5.89$4.66-21%
Potatoes (1kg)$2.66$2.94+11%
Onions (1kg)$2.62$2.75+5%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.64$2.48-6%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.4$2.21-8%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$15.1$15.2+1%
Transport-9%
Public transport, one-way ticket$2.52$2.4-5%
Public transport, monthly pass$123$101-18%
Taxi, base fare$3.66$3.24-11%
Taxi, per km$1.93$1.73-10%
Gasoline (1L)$0.95$0.89-6%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$24,629$24,355-1%
Dining out-11%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$19.4$21.8+12%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$120$99.9-17%
Fast food combo meal$10.6$10.9+3%
Cappuccino$5.3$5-6%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$2.52$2.08-17%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$7.79$5.5-29%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$8.45$7.14-16%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$1.83$1.6-13%
Telecom-2%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$53.8$57.2+6%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$58.1$59.8+3%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.32$0.31-3%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$15$13.3-11%
Utilities & household-13%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$181$157-13%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.24$0.21-12%
Tap water (1m³)$4.85$4.67-4%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.31$1.15-12%
Waste collection (monthly)$22.7$18.8-17%
Fitness club (monthly)$88.5$77.3-13%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$16.8$15.3-9%
Men's haircut$30.7$30.2-2%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$27.9$20.7-26%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$2,276$1,799-21%

3,391 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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