Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,193 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,193

/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: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $3,193 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $2,704
Cambridge $3,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,497 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cambridge $4,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $5,801 in Cambridge.

Austin, TX $5,562
Cambridge $5,801

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 15% less than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Cambridge 138% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$21.44 £16.20

-5.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$89.5 £67.6

-4.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.39 £7.85

18.86%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.65 £3.51

17.63%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.82 £2.13

35.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.89 £1.43

32.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$7.64 £5.77

5.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.53 £4.93

37.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.57 £1.19

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.81 £1.37

108.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.48 £1.88

31.05%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.56 £3.44

-9.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.59 £7.25

36.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.25 £6.99

54.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$15.41 £11.65

3.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.90 £2.20

51.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.72 £1.30

-15.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.66 £2.77

24.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.43 £2.59

22.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.75 £1.33

50.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.84 £1.39

28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.30 £0.98

35.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.96 £1.48

10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$22.60 £17.07

-56.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$11.17 £8.44

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.28 £2.48

-15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$4.12 £3.11

-15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.89 £2.94

-61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$93.4 £70.6

-56.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$8.05 £6.09

-66.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.57 £1.94

-38.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$50.3 £38.03

-29.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.09 £1.58

-52.63%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$38.2K £28.9K

-6.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$40.8K £30.8K

-33.39%

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

$219 $219

$336 £254

-34.75%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$18.66 £14.10

210.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$42.12 £31.83

62.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$64.6 £48.79

-10.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$20.61 £15.57

-28.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$17.06 £12.89

-17.17%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$2,538 £1,918

-40.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$35.2K £26.6K

-38.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$88.2 £66.6

-41.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$47.02 £35.54

-6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$93.3 £70.5

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$129 £97.2

-18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$2,080 £1,572

-7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,717 £1,297

-25.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$3,168 £2,394

15.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,686 £2,030

-5.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$9,021 £6,817

-15.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$5,852 £4,422

-45.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$4,402 £3,327

15.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.04

34.72%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 34.9% $444

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Cambridge

$325 10.3% 19.4% $78

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Cambridge

$329 10.4% 5.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Cambridge

$397 12.6% 14.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Cambridge

$161 5.1% 24.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Cambridge

$99 3.1% 14.5% $13

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Cambridge

$130 4.1% 128% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $2,080 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $89.0 in Cambridge. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $325, with Cambridge cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

05:59 5:59 AM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

145,818

💱 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 Cambridge 7,890 km ≈ 10 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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Cambridge. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $2,080 in Cambridge. 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 $3,193 in Cambridge – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 131% less than in Cambridge. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Austin, TX delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,704 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Austin, TX hard to pass up.

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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.