Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Braintree

For one person, living is cheaper in Braintree: $2,191 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Braintree
Learn more

Braintree Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Braintree

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,191 in Braintree.

Austin, TX $2,663
Braintree $2,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,260 in Braintree.

Austin, TX $4,133
Braintree $3,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,329 in Braintree.

Austin, TX $5,603
Braintree $4,329

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 22% more expensive than in Braintree, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Braintree 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$20.01 £15.01

3.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$91.5 £68.6

-7.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.44 £7.83

18.01%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.61 £3.46

22.13%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.82 £1.36

104.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.13 £0.85

121.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.71 £5.03

19.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.90 £4.42

52.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.43 £1.07

-21.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.38 £1.03

171.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.64 £1.23

98.78%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.95 £2.21

41.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.65 £6.49

49.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.74 £5.81

82.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.97 £9.73

25.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.15 £2.36

37.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.40 £1.05

4.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.58 £1.94

74.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.78 £2.08

56.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.65 £1.24

56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.41 £1.06

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.19 £0.89

49.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.36 £1.02

63.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$23.37 £17.53

-57.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.00 £6.75

67.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.69 £2.02

8.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.34 £1.75

47.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.42 £2.56

-56.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$94.4 £70.9

-55.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.77 £3.58

-42.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.29 £0.97

28.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$21.52 £16.14

64.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.09 £1.57

-54.55%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.4K £28.0K

-3.58%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.0K £30.0K

-32.34%

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

$229 $229

$249 £186

-7.85%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$14.35 £10.77

313.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$40.48 £30.37

72.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$45.52 £34.15

25.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$21.07 £15.81

-32.23%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,070 £802

40.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$19.9K £14.9K

7.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$69.7 £52.3

-24.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$31.23 £23.43

40.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$77.9 £58.4

8.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$49.97 £37.49

106.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,220 £915

56.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,010 £758

26.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,060 £1,545

77.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,682 £1,262

50.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,118 £3,839

48.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,798 £2,850

-16.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

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 Braintree: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Braintree

$1K 46.1% 20.7% $264

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Braintree

$263 12% 34.9% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Braintree

$303 13.9% 15.3% $55

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Braintree

$304 13.9% 14.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Braintree

$103 4.7% 19.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Braintree

$88 4% 2.2% $1.9

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Braintree

$119 5.5% 103% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,220 in Braintree. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $91.0 in Braintree. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $263, with Braintree cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Braintree

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

02:34 2:34 AM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

151,677

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Braintree 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Braintree

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 Braintree: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braintree wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Braintree the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $3,286 in Braintree to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,220 in Braintree. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,191 in Braintree – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Braintree runs roughly 126% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,191 in Braintree versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Braintree but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Braintree 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 Braintree 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 Braintree gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.