Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $2,044 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
99

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

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,044

/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 $2,044 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $2,663
Cambridge $2,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,830 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cambridge $2,830

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,617 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $5,603
Cambridge $3,617

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 30% 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 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.75 NZ$24.32

51.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$68.4 NZ$121

23.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.74 NZ$15.45

40.96%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.45 NZ$6.10

63.19%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.93 NZ$3.41

92.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.99 NZ$3.52

25.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.08 NZ$10.75

32.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.63 NZ$11.73

35.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.51 NZ$2.67

-25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.23 NZ$3.94

68.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.89 NZ$3.34

72.49%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.95 NZ$10.53

-29.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.33 NZ$14.73

54.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.43 NZ$16.68

50.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.01 NZ$23.01

24.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.55 NZ$4.50

69.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.28 NZ$4.04

-35.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.02 NZ$5.34

49.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.65 NZ$9.99

-23.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.11 NZ$3.73

22.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.56 NZ$2.76

50.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.27 NZ$4.02

-21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.08 NZ$1.92

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$25.11 NZ$44.41

-60.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.40 NZ$18.39

45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.44 NZ$6.08

-15.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.84 NZ$6.79

-9.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.72 NZ$4.81

-45.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.18 NZ$3.85

25.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.94 NZ$3.43

-14.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$31.37 NZ$55.5

12.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-44.12%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$25.1K NZ$44.4K

43.47%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$22.1K NZ$39.1K

22.43%

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

$229 $229

$99.4 NZ$176

130.40%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$26.44 NZ$46.77

124.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$50.8 NZ$89.8

37.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$13.51 NZ$23.90

5.70%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$673 NZ$1,190

123.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$19.3K NZ$34.1K

11.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$62.0 NZ$110

-14.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.37 NZ$66.1

17.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$93.1 NZ$165

-8.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$105 NZ$186

-2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$584 NZ$1,033

226.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,122 NZ$1,985

13.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,158 NZ$2,048

216.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,449 NZ$2,563

75.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,539 NZ$8,027

67.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,931 NZ$6,953

-19.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,585 NZ$4,571

98.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.17%

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

$1.1K 54.9% 11.9% $152

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Cambridge

$324 15.9% 19.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Cambridge

$177 8.6% 50.7% $182

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Cambridge

$237 11.6% 33% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Cambridge

$134 6.6% 4.7% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Cambridge

$27 * 1.3% 68.5% $59

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Cambridge

$23 * 1.1% 61.2% $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 $584 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 98% 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 $68.0 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $324 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

11:11 11:11 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

21,400

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cambridge 11,760 km ≈ 15 h 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 30% 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 98% 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 $584 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $673 in Cambridge. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,044 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Cambridge 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 Cambridge gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.