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Austin vs Los Angeles cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐บ๐ธ Austin
๐บ๐ธ Los Angeles
At a glance
- Where Los Angeles is clearly cheaper: Laundry (20%โ), Massage (17%โ), Street food (15%โ)
- Where Austin is clearly cheaper: Studio rent (month) (38%โ), Entry ticket (36%โ), Transit (29%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: safety โ Austin 2 vs Los Angeles 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Austin | Los Angeles | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | $ 20$20 | $ 18$18 | Los Angeles โ10% |
| Street food1 item | $ 13$13 | $ 11$11 | Los Angeles โ15% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | $ 45$45 | $ 48$48 | Austin โ6% |
| Coffeeone cup | $ 6$6 | $ 5.5$5.5 | Los Angeles โ8% |
| Beerone bottle | $ 7$7 | $ 9$9 | Austin โ22% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | $ 15$15 | $ 17$17 | Austin โ12% |
| Bottled water | $ 2$2 | $ 2$2 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | $ 2.5$2.5 | $ 3$3 | Austin โ17% |
| Taxi5 km in town | $ 15$15 | $ 18$18 | Austin โ17% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | $ 9$9 | $ 10$10 | Austin โ10% |
| Transitone ride | $ 1.25$1.25 | $ 1.75$1.75 | Austin โ29% |
| Scooter rentalper day | $ 35$35 | $ 35$35 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | $ 150$150 | $ 200$200 | Austin โ25% |
| Studio rent (month) | $ 1,300$1,300 | $ 2,100$2,100 | Austin โ38% |
| Laundry | $ 5$5 | $ 4$4 | Los Angeles โ20% |
| SIM card1 week data | $ 30$30 | $ 26$26 | Los Angeles โ13% |
| Haircutcut | $ 33$33 | $ 30$30 | Los Angeles โ9% |
| Massage1 hour | $ 90$90 | $ 75$75 | Los Angeles โ17% |
| Half-day tourper person | $ 65$65 | $ 75$75 | Austin โ13% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | $ 18$18 | $ 28$28 | Austin โ36% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Austin or Los Angeles?
Austin is 20% cheaper than Los Angeles. Daily budget $310 vs $368; a month $5,431 vs $7,222.
Which is easier to travel, Austin or Los Angeles?
About the same: Austin 1.8/5, Los Angeles 2.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Austin and Los Angeles?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Austin is about $5,431 and Los Angeles about $7,222 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.