San Francisco vs Austin Cost of Living

San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1Austin (United States) · Overall index 70.9

Summary

  • Overall, Austin is 25% cheaper than San Francisco.
  • Rent in Austin is 49% cheaper than in San Francisco.
  • Dining out in Austin is 19% cheaper than in San Francisco.
ItemSan FranciscoAustinDiff
Rent-49%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$3,208$1,819-43%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,609$1,426-45%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$7,487$3,531-53%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$4,864$2,256-54%
Groceries-13%
Milk (1L)$1.31$1.27-3%
White bread (500g)$4.2$3.66-13%
Rice (1kg)$5.82$4.82-17%
Eggs (12)$4.57$4.39-4%
Local cheese (1kg)$16.3$11.1-32%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$12.6$10-21%
Beef round (1kg)$22.3$15.8-29%
Apples (1kg)$5.88$5.26-11%
Bananas (1kg)$2.46$1.75-29%
Oranges (1kg)$4.54$4.2-7%
Tomatoes (1kg)$5.5$4.66-15%
Potatoes (1kg)$3.06$2.94-4%
Onions (1kg)$2.72$2.75+1%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.75$2.48-10%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.41$2.21-8%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$15.4$15.2-1%
Transport-18%
Public transport, one-way ticket$3.1$2.4-23%
Public transport, monthly pass$139$101-27%
Taxi, base fare$4.48$3.24-28%
Taxi, per km$1.91$1.73-9%
Gasoline (1L)$0.99$0.89-10%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$27,640$24,355-12%
Dining out-19%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$21.5$21.8+1%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$115$99.9-13%
Fast food combo meal$11.6$10.9-6%
Cappuccino$5.52$5-9%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$3.04$2.08-32%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$8.59$5.5-36%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$8.71$7.14-18%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$2.32$1.6-31%
Telecom-16%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$68.5$57.2-16%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$71.8$59.8-17%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.37$0.31-16%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$15.8$13.3-16%
Utilities & household-17%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$176$157-11%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.23$0.21-9%
Tap water (1m³)$5.1$4.67-8%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.47$1.15-22%
Waste collection (monthly)$25.8$18.8-27%
Fitness club (monthly)$94.8$77.3-18%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$17.5$15.3-13%
Men's haircut$33.2$30.2-9%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$29.6$20.7-30%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$2,199$1,799-18%

3,408 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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