Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Scarborough: $2,466 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,466 in Scarborough.

Austin, TX $2,663
Scarborough $2,466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,385 in Scarborough.

Austin, TX $4,133
Scarborough $3,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,304 in Scarborough.

Austin, TX $5,603
Scarborough $4,304

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 8% more expensive than in Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Scarborough 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$16.49 CA$23.31

25.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$68.8 CA$97.2

23.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.56 CA$14.93

16.67%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.87 CA$5.47

45.48%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.07 CA$2.92

79.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.37 CA$1.94

82.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.24 CA$8.82

29.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.08 CA$10.01

27.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.51 CA$3.56

-55.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.68 CA$3.78

39.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.13 CA$3.01

53.05%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.45 CA$4.88

20.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.94 CA$12.63

44.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.01 CA$15.56

28.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.57 CA$17.77

29.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.22 CA$4.56

34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.21 CA$1.71

20.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.39 CA$4.79

33.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.00 CA$5.65

8.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.65 CA$2.33

56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.58 CA$2.24

48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.28 CA$3.22

-21.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.19 CA$1.68

86.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.74 CA$19.43

-28.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.75 CA$18.03

18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.11 CA$2.99

38.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.51 CA$3.55

37.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.35 CA$3.32

-36.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$103 CA$146

-59.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.95 CA$4.17

-7.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.26 CA$1.79

31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$21.32 CA$30.14

65.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.21 CA$1.72

-21.49%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.5K CA$38.8K

31.30%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.9K CA$28.1K

36.26%

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

$229 $229

$141 CA$199

62.91%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$34.98 CA$49.45

69.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$47.92 CA$67.7

45.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$35.43 CA$50.1

61.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$35.38 CA$50.0

-53.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.45 CA$17.60

14.70%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$808 CA$1,142

86.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.4K CA$14.7K

106.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$51.5 CA$72.9

2.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$39.00 CA$55.1

12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$84.4 CA$119

0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$103 CA$146

-0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,695 CA$2,396

12.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,342 CA$1,898

-5.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,130 CA$3,011

72.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,736 CA$2,454

46.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,564 CA$10.7K

0.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$6,121 CA$8,653

-48.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,908 CA$4,111

76.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.55

49.23%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4% 5.4% $68

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Scarborough

$323 13.1% 20.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Scarborough

$223 9.1% 37.6% $135

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Scarborough

$269 10.9% 23.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Scarborough

$125 5.1% 2.2% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Scarborough

$60 2.5% 29.7% $25

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Scarborough

$122 5% 108% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,695 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 76% 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 $69.0 in Scarborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $323 per month, with Scarborough cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

29,960

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Scarborough 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scarborough wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Scarborough the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 76% 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 $1,695 in Scarborough. 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 $2,466 in Scarborough – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Scarborough runs roughly 148% 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 $2,500. Scarborough 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.

Expats usually find Scarborough gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.