Cost of living comparison
compared to
Austin vs. San Antonio Cost of Living Summary
Austin is 11.0% more expensive than San Antonio.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.0% more in Austin
- Groceries
-
pay 9.9% more in Austin
- Transportation
-
pay 5.7% less in Austin
- Housing
-
pay 8.6% more in Austin
- Childcare
-
pay 32.5% more in Austin
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.5% more in Austin
- Clothing
-
pay 5.8% less in Austin
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and housing in Austin are more expensive than in San Antonio. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Austin.
Austin vs. San Antonio Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Austin instead of San Antonio, you would:
pay 17.0% more for restaurants
|
San Antonio
|
Austin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$11.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.35
|
$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.74
|
$2.09
|
|
San Antonio vs. Austin - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.9% more for groceries
|
San Antonio
|
Austin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.02
|
$3.40
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.74
|
$6.17
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.78
|
$3.93
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$4.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.64
|
$5.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.98
|
$2.20
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$1.96
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.75
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
|
$1.18
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$1.24
|
|
San Antonio vs. Austin - Cost of groceries
pay 5.7% less for transportation
|
San Antonio
|
Austin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$2.79
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.50
|
$41.38
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,796.00
|
$27,900.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.92
|
$17.67
|
|
San Antonio vs. Austin - Cost of transportation
pay 8.6% more for housing
|
San Antonio
|
Austin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$80.64
|
$68.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,581.67
|
$2,134.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,112.85
|
$1,434.41
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.64
|
$133.86
|
|
San Antonio vs. Austin - Cost of housing
pay 32.5% more for childcare
|
San Antonio
|
Austin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,140.00
|
$1,343.18
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,000.00
|
$22,093.75
|
|
San Antonio vs. Austin - Cost of childcare
pay 20.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Antonio
|
Austin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.56
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.18
|
$66.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.50
|
$15.00
|
|
San Antonio vs. Austin - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.8% less for clothing
|
San Antonio
|
Austin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.89
|
$52.74
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.17
|
$43.79
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$106.73
|
$87.55
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.38
|
$117.47
|
|
San Antonio vs. Austin - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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