Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Surrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Surrey: $2,236 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,236 in Surrey.

Austin, TX $2,704
Surrey $2,236

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,522 in Surrey.

Austin, TX $4,133
Surrey $3,522

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,808 in Surrey.

Austin, TX $5,562
Surrey $4,808

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Surrey 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$17.87 CA$25.42

13.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$55.2 CA$78.5

54.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.26 CA$14.59

20.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.63 CA$5.17

50.69%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.11 CA$3.00

81.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.57 CA$2.23

59.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.65 CA$8.03

42.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.95 CA$8.46

51.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.40 CA$3.41

-52.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.04 CA$2.90

85.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.57 CA$5.08

-8.96%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.23 CA$4.60

28.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.63 CA$13.70

35.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.29 CA$14.63

39.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$19.56 CA$27.83

-18.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.14 CA$4.47

39.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.31 CA$1.86

10.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.94 CA$4.19

54.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.95 CA$4.19

42.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.54 CA$3.61

3.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.05 CA$2.91

15.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.98 CA$2.81

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.80 CA$2.55

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$13.93 CA$19.82

-29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$14.12 CA$20.08

4.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.46 CA$3.50

13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.05 CA$4.34

14.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.67 CA$3.80

-44.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$106 CA$150

-61.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.57 CA$3.65

3.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.49 CA$2.12

6.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$27.20 CA$38.69

29.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 CA$1.86

-24.43%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$27.8K CA$39.5K

28.79%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$18.5K CA$26.3K

47.19%

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

$219 $219

$185 CA$263

18.70%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$36.28 CA$51.6

59.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$63.2 CA$89.9

8.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$34.52 CA$49.10

67.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$25.21 CA$35.85

-41.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$12.70 CA$18.06

11.26%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$832 CA$1,183

81.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.9K CA$16.9K

80.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$55.2 CA$78.5

-6.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$60.3 CA$85.7

-26.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$96.4 CA$137

-11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$88.2 CA$125

19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,327 CA$1,887

45.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,050 CA$1,494

21.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,676 CA$3,807

37.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,085 CA$2,965

21.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$9,553 CA$13.6K

-20.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$8,388 CA$11.9K

-61.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$2,988 CA$4,251

70.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.87

39.43%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Surrey: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Surrey

$1.1K 46.1% 17.5% $222

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Surrey

$348 15.3% 13.5% $54

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Surrey

$272 12% 21.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Surrey

$284 12.5% 17.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Surrey

$135 5.9% 4.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Surrey

$60 2.6% 30.5% $26

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Surrey

$126 5.6% 121% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,327 in Surrey. 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 $55.0 in Surrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $348 per month, with Surrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇦 Surrey

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

517,887

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Surrey 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Surrey

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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surrey 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 Surrey 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,327 in Surrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,236 in Surrey – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surrey runs roughly 161% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,236 in Surrey versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Surrey but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Surrey 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.

Expats usually find Surrey 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.