Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Harlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Harlow: $2,320 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. The total is higher in Austin, TX despite lower rent and utilities.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,320 in Harlow.

Austin, TX $2,663
Harlow $2,320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,416 in Harlow.

Austin, TX $4,133
Harlow $3,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,513 in Harlow.

Austin, TX $5,603
Harlow $4,513

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 15% more expensive than in Harlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Harlow 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$21.12 £15.84

-1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$93.0 £69.7

-8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.72 £8.04

14.93%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.71 £4.28

-1.40%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.61 £1.96

42.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.79 £1.34

39.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.71 £5.03

19.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.81 £5.11

32.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.35 £1.01

-17.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.38 £1.03

171.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.10 £0.82

196.36%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.35 £1.76

77.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.66 £5.00

93.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.12 £4.59

131.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.73 £5.05

141.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.03 £1.52

113.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.18 £0.88

23.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.15 £0.86

292.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.95 £1.47

122.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.58 £1.19

63.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.33 £1.00

76.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.35 £1.01

31.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.48 £1.11

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$20.83 £15.63

-52.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.04 £6.78

66.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.72 £2.04

7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.93 £1.45

79.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.63 £1.97

-43.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.84 £4.38

-53.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.62 £1.22

2.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$21.14 £15.86

66.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.85 £1.38

-48.65%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.4K £28.0K

-3.59%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$41.1K £30.8K

-34.05%

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

$229 $229

$220 £165

4.31%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$11.73 £8.80

406.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$28.08 £21.07

148.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$45.62 £34.22

25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.11 £6.09

101.36%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.56 £9.43

13.69%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,062 £797

41.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$20.0K £15.0K

7.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$69.9 £52.4

-24.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$31.69 £23.77

38.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$77.1 £57.8

10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$37.87 £28.41

172.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,397 £1,048

36.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,324 £993

-3.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,253 £1,690

62.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,211 £1,659

14.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,992 £2,245

71.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.91

38.29%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Harlow: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Harlow

$1.3K 57.1% 3.9% $50

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Harlow

$209 9% 48.2% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Harlow

$259 11.2% 27.6% $99

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Harlow

$334 14.4% 5.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Harlow

$97 4.2% 23.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Harlow

$71 3.1% 17.5% $15

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Harlow

$24 * 1.1% 58.3% $34

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 $1,397 in Harlow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 71% 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 Harlow. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $209, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Harlow

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

86,191

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Harlow 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Harlow

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 Harlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harlow wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Harlow the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 71% 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 $1,397 in Harlow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $1,062 in Harlow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Harlow – a meal for two runs $93.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,320 in Harlow versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Harlow but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Harlow 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 Harlow 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 Harlow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.