Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lincoln

For one person, living is cheaper in Lincoln: $2,210 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
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Lincoln Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,210 in Lincoln.

Austin, TX $2,663
Lincoln $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,279 in Lincoln.

Austin, TX $4,133
Lincoln $3,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,349 in Lincoln.

Austin, TX $5,603
Lincoln $4,349

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 21% more expensive than in Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Lincoln 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$26.56 £19.93

-21.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$86.5 £64.9

-2.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.97 £5.98

54.58%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.85 £3.64

16.08%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.58 £1.94

44.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.97 £1.48

26.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.46 £4.85

24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.63 £4.97

35.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.38 £1.03

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.46 £1.10

156.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.35 £1.01

141.48%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.20 £2.40

30.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.35 £6.26

54.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.39 £6.30

68.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.31 £8.49

43.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.62 £2.72

19.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.25 £0.93

16.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.94 £2.20

53.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.56 £2.67

21.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.54 £1.16

67.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.21 £0.90

94.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.04 £0.78

71.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.35 £1.01

64.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$23.20 £17.41

-57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.69 £8.02

41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.30 £2.47

-11.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.54 £2.66

-2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$4.26 £3.20

-65.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$107 £80.1

-60.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.84 £2.88

-28.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.78 £0.58

112.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$19.63 £14.73

79.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.96 £1.47

-51.53%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$38.5K £28.9K

-6.37%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$39.7K £29.8K

-31.89%

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

$229 $229

$308 £231

-25.65%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$16.78 £12.59

253.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$38.98 £29.24

79.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$26.20 £19.65

118.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$21.26 £15.95

-23.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.16 £11.38

-5.80%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,809 £1,358

-16.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$20.6K £15.4K

4.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$113 £85.1

-53.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$58.0 £43.49

-24.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$87.0 £65.3

-2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$98.4 £73.8

4.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,096 £822

74.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$864 £648

47.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,952 £1,464

87.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,408 £1,056

80.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,548 £1,911

198.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,205 £904

161.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,188 £2,391

60.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.88

39.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lincoln: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Lincoln

$864 39.1% 32.2% $410

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Lincoln

$275 12.4% 32% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Lincoln

$364 16.5% 1.5% $5.5

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Lincoln

$358 16.2% 1.3% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Lincoln

$161 7.3% 25.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lincoln

$57 2.6% 34.1% $29

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Lincoln

$132 6% 124% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,096 in Lincoln. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 61% 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 $86.0 in Lincoln. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $275, with Lincoln cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

13:14 1:14 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

97,541

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Lincoln 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lincoln

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 Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lincoln wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lincoln the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% 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 $1,096 in Lincoln. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,210 in Lincoln – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lincoln runs roughly 156% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,210 in Lincoln versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lincoln but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.