Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Birmingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Birmingham: $2,500 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
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Birmingham Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Birmingham actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,500 in Birmingham.

Austin, TX $2,704
Birmingham $2,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,627 in Birmingham.

Austin, TX $4,133
Birmingham $3,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,753 in Birmingham.

Austin, TX $5,562
Birmingham $4,753

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 8% more expensive than in Birmingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Birmingham 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$20.14 £15.22

0.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$101 £76.2

-15.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$9.44 £7.14

30.83%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$5.06 £3.82

8.10%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.54 £1.92

50.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.95 £1.47

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$7.11 £5.38

13.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.68 £5.05

34.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.89 £1.43

-40.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.85 £1.40

104.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.50 £1.89

30.00%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.91 £2.96

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.06 £6.85

44.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$8.71 £6.58

64.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$15.03 £11.36

6.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.58 £1.95

69.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.76 £1.33

-17.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.44 £1.84

86.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.70 £2.79

13.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.57 £1.19

67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.76 £1.33

34.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.32 £1.00

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.58 £1.19

36.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$21.86 £16.52

-55.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$12.09 £9.14

21.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.67 £2.77

-24.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.34 £2.53

4.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.94 £2.98

-62.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$94.2 £71.2

-56.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.97 £3.76

-46.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.39 £1.81

-33.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$24.23 £18.31

45.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.07 £1.56

-52.17%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$37.5K £28.3K

-4.46%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$41.1K £31.1K

-33.91%

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

$219 $219

$316 £239

-30.57%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$21.37 £16.15

171.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$47.44 £35.85

44.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$38.70 £29.24

49.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$30.29 £22.89

-51.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$15.89 £12.01

-11.08%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,601 £1,210

-5.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$23.5K £17.8K

-8.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$106 £80.5

-51.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$49.76 £37.61

-11.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$118 £89.0

-27.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$149 £112

-29.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,395 £1,054

38.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,104 £834

15.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,128 £1,608

72.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,719 £1,299

46.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,354 £4,046

42.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$4,174 £3,154

-23.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$4,523 £3,418

12.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.09

33.40%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Birmingham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Birmingham

$1.1K 44.1% 13.2% $169

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Birmingham

$312 12.5% 22.5% $91

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Birmingham

$317 12.7% 8.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Birmingham

$385 15.4% 11.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Birmingham

$190 7.6% 47.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Birmingham

$70 2.8% 18.2% $16

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Birmingham

$127 5.1% 123% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,395 in Birmingham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 13% 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 $101 in Birmingham. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $312, with Birmingham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,036,878

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Birmingham 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Birmingham

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 Birmingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birmingham wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Birmingham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,395 in Birmingham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,500 in Birmingham – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Birmingham runs roughly 133% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,500 in Birmingham versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Birmingham but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Birmingham 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.

Expats usually find Birmingham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.