Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Bedford

For one person, living is cheaper in Bedford: $2,097 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
Learn more

Bedford Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Bedford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Bedford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,097 in Bedford.

Austin, TX $2,663
Bedford $2,097

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,291 in Bedford.

Austin, TX $4,133
Bedford $3,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,486 in Bedford.

Austin, TX $5,603
Bedford $4,486

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 27% more expensive than in Bedford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Bedford 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$20.10 £15.08

3.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$86.6 £65.0

-2.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.65 £7.99

15.68%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.59 £3.44

22.66%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.03 £1.52

83.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.21 £0.91

106.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.45 £4.84

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.84 £4.38

54.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.70 £1.28

-34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.46 £1.10

156.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.68 £1.26

94.05%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.80 £2.85

9.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.09 £6.82

41.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.96 £6.72

58.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.62 £9.47

28.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.26 £2.44

32.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.30 £0.98

12.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.47 £1.85

82.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.20 £2.40

35.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.32 £0.99

95.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.32 £0.99

78.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.03 £0.77

72.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.30 £0.97

70.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$23.05 £17.29

-57.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.65 £7.99

41.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.58 £1.94

13.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.36 £1.77

46.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.56 £1.92

-41.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.99 £3.74

-45.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.43 £1.07

16.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$23.92 £17.95

47.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.92 £1.44

-50.52%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.5K £28.1K

-3.79%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.5K £30.4K

-33.19%

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

$229 $229

$316 £237

-27.55%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.63 £13.22

236.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$39.85 £29.90

75.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.86 £27.66

55.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.90 £11.93

-10.19%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$937 £703

60.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.6K £16.2K

-0.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$23.92 £17.95

120.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$25.54 £19.16

71.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$79.6 £59.7

6.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$86.7 £65.1

18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,115 £837

70.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$952 £714

33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,353 £1,766

55.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,998 £1,499

27.07%

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)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,170 £2,378

61.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.67

45.40%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Bedford

$952 45.4% 25.3% $322

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Bedford

$279 13.3% 31.1% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Bedford

$374 17.8% 4.3% $15

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Bedford

$305 14.5% 13.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Bedford

$97 4.6% 24.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Bedford

$69 3.3% 20% $17

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Bedford

$22 * 1.1% 61.9% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,115 in Bedford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 62% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $87.0 in Bedford. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $279, with Bedford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Bedford

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

10:05 10:05 AM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

80,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Bedford 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Bedford

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

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

Bedford wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bedford the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 62% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,115 in Bedford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $937 in Bedford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bedford – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,097 in Bedford versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bedford but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bedford 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Bedford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bedford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.