Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Portsmouth

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Portsmouth: $2,663 and $2,763 a month, rent and utilities included.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,763 in Portsmouth.

Austin, TX $2,663
Portsmouth $2,763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,798 in Portsmouth.

Austin, TX $4,133
Portsmouth $3,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,834 in Portsmouth.

Austin, TX $5,603
Portsmouth $4,834

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 4% less than in Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Portsmouth 105% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$19.81 £14.86

4.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$66.4 £49.78

27.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.34 £7.76

19.15%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.79 £3.59

17.54%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.66 £1.99

39.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.27 £1.71

10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.18 £4.63

30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.83 £4.38

54.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.41 £1.06

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.58 £1.18

137.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.69 £2.77

-11.65%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.39 £2.55

23.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.26 £9.95

-2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.32 £6.24

70.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.02 £9.77

24.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.86 £2.90

12.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.91 £1.43

-23.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.85 £2.14

58.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.34 £2.51

29.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.65 £1.23

56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.63 £1.23

44.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.20 £0.90

48.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.52 £1.14

46.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$23.07 £17.31

-57.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.29 £8.47

33.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.94 £2.21

-0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.14 £1.60

61.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$4.08 £3.06

-63.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$88.0 £66.0

-52.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.16 £3.87

-47.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.60 £1.20

3.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$20.02 £15.02

76.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.08 £1.56

-54.33%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$38.6K £29.0K

-6.68%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.1K £30.1K

-32.55%

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

$229 $229

$654 £491

-65.01%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$14.83 £11.12

300.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$42.05 £31.55

66.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$38.39 £28.80

49.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.15 £12.86

-4.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.65 £7.99

34.08%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,249 £937

20.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$20.0K £15.0K

7.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$90.5 £67.9

-41.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$39.83 £29.88

10.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$98.6 £74.0

-14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$120 £89.8

-13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,457 £1,093

30.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,098 £824

16.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,091 £1,569

75.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,714 £1,286

48.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,504 £3,378

69.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,703 £2,778

-14.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,350 £2,513

52.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.16

31.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.8% 13.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Portsmouth

$310 11.2% 23.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Portsmouth

$711 25.7% 98.5% $353

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Portsmouth

$309 11.2% 12.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Portsmouth

$157 5.7% 22.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Portsmouth

$60 2.2% 30.4% $26

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Portsmouth

$118 4.3% 100% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,457 in Portsmouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $66.0 in Portsmouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $310 per month, with Portsmouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

198,974

💱 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

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Between locations

Austin, TX Portsmouth 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Portsmouth. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 53% 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 $1,457 in Portsmouth. 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 $2,763 in Portsmouth – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 111% less than in Portsmouth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,763 in Portsmouth, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Austin, TX but tight or insufficient in Portsmouth. The gap between the two cities makes Austin, TX the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Austin, TX delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,663 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Austin, TX hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Portsmouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.