Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Durham

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham: $2,073 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
Learn more

Durham Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,073 in Durham.

Austin, TX $2,704
Durham $2,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,286 in Durham.

Austin, TX $4,133
Durham $3,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,498 in Durham.

Austin, TX $5,562
Durham $4,498

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 30% more expensive than in Durham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Durham 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$19.57 £14.79

3.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$93.4 £70.6

-8.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.40 £8.61

8.33%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.56 £3.44

19.96%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.54 £1.92

50.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.04 £1.54

22.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$6.08 £4.59

32.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.33 £4.03

68.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.95 £1.47

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.54 £1.17

145.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.03 £2.29

7.26%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.37 £3.30

-5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.02 £7.57

30.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$8.86 £6.69

61.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$21.35 £16.13

-25.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.93 £2.21

49.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.53 £1.91

-42.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.75 £2.08

65.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$5.08 £3.84

-17.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.56 £1.18

68.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.70 £1.29

38.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.06 £0.80

66.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.88 £1.42

14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$23.61 £17.84

-58.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.64 £8.04

38.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.31 £2.50

-16.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.15 £2.38

10.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.23 £2.44

-53.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$86.9 £65.7

-53.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$6.39 £4.83

-58.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.93 £1.46

-18.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$23.68 £17.89

49.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.88 £1.42

-47.34%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$37.8K £28.6K

-5.40%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$41.1K £31.1K

-33.88%

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

$219 $219

$265 £200

-17.11%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$15.21 £11.49

281.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$42.95 £32.45

59.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$46.78 £35.35

23.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$12.51 £9.45

12.95%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,300 £982

16.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$25.2K £19.1K

-14.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$106 £80.3

-51.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$71.4 £53.9

-38.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$114 £86.1

-25.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$97.2 £73.5

8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,539 £1,163

25.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$743 £562

71.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,661 £2,011

37.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,565 £1,183

61.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,034 £3,804

51.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,862 £2,919

-17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$2,064 £1,559

147.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.18

31.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Durham

$743 35.7% 41.6% $529

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Durham

$348 16.7% 13.6% $55

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Durham

$305 14.6% 12.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Durham

$323 15.5% 6.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Durham

$175 8.4% 35.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Durham

$72 3.5% 16.7% $14

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Durham

$116 5.6% 103% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,539 in Durham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 147% 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 $93.0 in Durham. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $348, with Durham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Durham

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

05:55 5:55 AM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

42,100

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Durham 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Durham

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 Durham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham 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 Durham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 147% 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 $1,539 in Durham. 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 $2,073 in Durham – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durham runs roughly 115% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Durham is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Durham 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 Durham 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.