Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cardiff

For one person, living is cheaper in Cardiff: $2,463 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,463

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,463 in Cardiff.

Austin, TX $2,704
Cardiff $2,463

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,467 in Cardiff.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cardiff $3,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,470 in Cardiff.

Austin, TX $5,562
Cardiff $4,470

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 10% more expensive than in Cardiff, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Cardiff 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$19.59 £14.80

3.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$82.6 £62.4

2.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.73 £8.11

15.10%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.60 £3.47

18.91%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.98 £2.25

28.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.00 £1.51

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$7.79 £5.88

3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.42 £4.85

40.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.72 £1.30

-34.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.47 £1.11

157.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.25 £1.70

44.44%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.72 £2.81

11.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.18 £6.93

42.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$8.75 £6.61

63.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$16.29 £12.31

-2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.81 £2.12

55.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.54 £1.16

-5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.98 £2.25

52.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.65 £2.76

14.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.90 £1.43

38.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.48 £1.12

59.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.11 £0.84

58.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.63 £1.23

32.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$23.34 £17.64

-57.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$11.17 £8.44

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.11 £2.35

-10.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.33 £2.52

4.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.30 £2.50

-54.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$78.6 £59.4

-48.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.56 £3.45

-41.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.74 £1.31

-9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$35.83 £27.08

-1.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.14 £1.62

-53.74%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$37.8K £28.6K

-5.39%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$41.3K £31.2K

-34.13%

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

$219 $219

$343 £259

-36.13%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$25.85 £19.54

124.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$43.60 £32.95

56.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$38.02 £28.73

52.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$11.52 £8.70

28.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$10.65 £8.05

32.68%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,978 £1,495

-23.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$32.8K £24.8K

-34.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$100 £75.6

-48.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$47.31 £35.75

-6.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$120 £90.6

-29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$99.3 £75.0

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,158 £875

66.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,097 £829

15.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,185 £1,651

67.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,514 £1,144

66.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,353 £4,045

42.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,479 £2,629

-8.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,223 £2,435

58.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.11

32.88%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.6% 13.8% $175

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Cardiff

$307 12.5% 23.9% $96

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Cardiff

$316 12.8% 9.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Cardiff

$413 16.8% 19.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Cardiff

$165 6.7% 28.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Cardiff

$59 2.4% 31.1% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Cardiff

$105 4.3% 84.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,158 in Cardiff. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 58% 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 $83.0 in Cardiff for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $307 per month, with Cardiff cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

346,100

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Cardiff 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cardiff

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 Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cardiff the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% 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 $1,158 in Cardiff. 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 $2,463 in Cardiff – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cardiff runs roughly 94% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,463 in Cardiff versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cardiff but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cardiff the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cardiff delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,463 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cardiff hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Cardiff 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 Cardiff gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.