Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Lerwick: $2,368 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,368 in Lerwick.

Austin, TX $2,698
Lerwick $2,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,415 in Lerwick.

Austin, TX $4,160
Lerwick $3,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,462 in Lerwick.

Austin, TX $5,622
Lerwick $4,462

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 14% more expensive than in Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Lerwick 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$20.15 £15.11

2.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$98.5 £73.9

-14.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.35 £7.76

16.62%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$5.40 £4.05

1.48%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.25 £1.69

68.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.64 £1.23

50.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.45 £4.84

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$5.86 £4.40

51.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.55 £1.16

-28.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.69 £1.27

120.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.21 £1.66

52.49%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.02 £3.02

7.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$9.37 £7.03

40.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$8.57 £6.43

65.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.44 £10.84

13.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.03 £2.27

50.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.51 £1.13

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.76 £2.07

70.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.28 £2.46

26.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.83 £1.37

40.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.71 £1.28

37.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.26 £0.95

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.55 £1.16

38.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$24.02 £18.02

-57.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.48 £7.86

44.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.00 £2.25

-6.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.27 £2.46

5.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.07 £2.30

-49.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$83.1 £62.3

-50.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$4.23 £3.18

-33.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.35 £1.76

-31.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$24.03 £18.03

42.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.34 £1.75

-59.83%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$38.9K £29.2K

-12.60%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.5K £25.9K

-22.35%

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

$223 $223

$309 £232

-28.05%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$19.33 £14.50

204.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$45.26 £33.95

55.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$52.8 £39.61

9.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$13.32 £9.99

7.06%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,392 £1,045

8.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$24.5K £18.4K

-14.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$88.7 £66.5

-42.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$50.6 £37.93

-12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$89.1 £66.8

-2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$110 £82.8

-5.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,112 £834

74.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,036 £777

27.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,395 £1,797

53.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,523 £1,143

68.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$4,646 £3,486

58.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$3,438 £2,579

-8.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.09

33.40%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 21.3% $281

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 26.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 6.2% $22

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 9.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 18.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 7.9% $6.8

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 92.2% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $99.0 in Lerwick. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $298, with Lerwick cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

7,000

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Austin, TX Lerwick 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lerwick

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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lerwick wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lerwick the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $3,552 in Lerwick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,368 in Lerwick – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lerwick runs roughly 103% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,368 in Lerwick versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Lerwick but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lerwick 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 Lerwick 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 Lerwick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.