Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $2,398 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,398 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $2,663
Cambridge $2,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,402 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cambridge $3,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,406 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $5,603
Cambridge $4,406

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 11% more expensive than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Cambridge 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.30 CA$24.45

20.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$55.8 CA$78.9

51.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.96 CA$14.07

23.69%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.51 CA$4.96

60.40%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.98 CA$2.79

87.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.32 CA$1.86

89.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.11 CA$7.22

57.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.24 CA$8.82

44.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.06 CA$2.91

-45.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.38 CA$3.36

57.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.09 CA$4.36

5.50%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.20 CA$4.53

30.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.84 CA$15.33

19.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.33 CA$16.02

24.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.30 CA$20.22

13.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.95 CA$5.58

9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.18 CA$1.67

23.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.00 CA$5.66

12.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.68 CA$5.20

17.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.61 CA$3.69

-1.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.98 CA$2.79

18.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.04 CA$2.88

-12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.41 CA$2.00

57.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$12.82 CA$18.13

-22.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.20 CA$17.25

23.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.57 CA$3.63

13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.85 CA$5.44

-10.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.44 CA$3.44

-38.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$63.9 CA$90.3

-34.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.42 CA$3.42

12.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.78 CA$2.52

-6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$22.60 CA$31.95

56.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.16 CA$1.63

-18.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$25.8K CA$36.5K

39.49%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.5K CA$26.2K

46.13%

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

$229 $229

$149 CA$211

53.73%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$42.05 CA$59.5

41.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$49.52 CA$70.0

41.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$28.59 CA$40.42

100.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.28 CA$14.53

38.91%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$528 CA$746

185.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.2K CA$22.8K

32.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$54.2 CA$76.7

-2.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$29.82 CA$42.16

46.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$74.3 CA$105

14.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$103 CA$146

-0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,305 CA$1,845

46.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,299 CA$1,837

-1.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,509 CA$3,547

46.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,989 CA$2,812

27.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,236 CA$5,989

79.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,850 CA$5,443

-18.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,938 CA$4,153

74.31%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2% 2% $25

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Cambridge

$345 14.4% 14.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Cambridge

$241 10% 32.9% $118

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Cambridge

$262 10.9% 26.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Cambridge

$118 4.9% 8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Cambridge

$49 2.1% 42.7% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Cambridge

$85 3.5% 44.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,305 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 74% 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 $56.0 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $345 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

138,479

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cambridge 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cambridge wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cambridge the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 74% 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 $1,305 in Cambridge. 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 $2,398 in Cambridge – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cambridge runs roughly 53% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,398 in Cambridge versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cambridge but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cambridge 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 Cambridge gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.