Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Birmingham: $2,500 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
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Birmingham Living Index
129

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

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Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,500

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Birmingham and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in Birmingham versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Birmingham $2,500
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,627 in Birmingham versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Birmingham $3,627
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,753 in Birmingham versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Birmingham $4,753
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Birmingham costs roughly 8% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Birmingham 87% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £15.22

$20.22 $20.22

-0.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £76.2

$85.0 $85.0

18.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.44 £7.14

$12.35 $12.35

-23.56%

Cappuccino

$5.06 £3.82

$5.47 $5.47

-7.50%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$3.82 $3.82

-33.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$2.50 $2.50

-22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 £5.38

$8.06 $8.06

-11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 £5.05

$8.99 $8.99

-25.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.43

$1.13 $1.13

67.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 £1.40

$3.78 $3.78

-51.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 £1.89

$3.25 $3.25

-23.08%

Eggs

$3.91 £2.96

$4.14 $4.14

-5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 £6.85

$13.08 $13.08

-30.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 £6.58

$14.31 $14.31

-39.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 £11.36

$15.96 $15.96

-5.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 £1.95

$4.38 $4.38

-41.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 £1.33

$1.45 $1.45

21.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 £1.84

$4.54 $4.54

-46.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 £2.79

$4.19 $4.19

-11.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 £1.19

$2.63 $2.63

-40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 £1.33

$2.36 $2.36

-25.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £1.00

$1.76 $1.76

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.16 $2.16

-26.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.86 £16.52

$9.81 $9.81

122.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 £9.14

$14.72 $14.72

-17.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 £2.77

$2.78 $2.78

32.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.53

$3.48 $3.48

-4.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.98

$1.49 $1.49

164.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.2 £71.2

$40.51 $40.51

132.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 £3.76

$2.67 $2.67

86.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 £1.81

$1.58 $1.58

51.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.23 £18.31

$35.29 $35.29

-31.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.56

$0.99 $0.99

109.09%

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

$37.5K £28.3K

$35.8K $35.8K

4.67%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$27.2K $27.2K

51.32%

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

$316 £239

$219 $219

44.02%

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

$21.37 £16.15

$58.0 $58.0

-63.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.44 £35.85

$68.4 $68.4

-30.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.70 £29.24

$57.9 $57.9

-33.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.29 £22.89

$14.82 $14.82

104.39%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 £12.01

$14.13 $14.13

12.46%

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

$1,601 £1,210

$1,509 $1,509

6.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K £17.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

9.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.5

$51.7 $51.7

106.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.76 £37.61

$44.05 $44.05

12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 £89.0

$85.1 $85.1

38.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 £112

$105 $105

41.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 £1,054

$1,932 $1,932

-27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 £834

$1,272 $1,272

-13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 £1,608

$3,670 $3,670

-42.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 £1,299

$2,525 $2,525

-31.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,354 £4,046

$7,617 $7,617

-29.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,174 £3,154

$3,199 $3,199

30.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,523 £3,418

$5,105 $5,105

-11.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

6.79

-25.04%

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

Last update for Birmingham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham

$1.1K 44.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 15.3% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham

$385 15.4%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 10.1% $39

Eating Out

Birmingham

$317 12.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 9.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham

$312 12.5%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 29% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham

$190 7.6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 32.3% $62

Getting Around

Birmingham

$127 5.1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 55.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham

$70 2.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 22.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,395 in Birmingham and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 13% 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: $101 in Birmingham vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $403, with Birmingham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

6 h behind Birmingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,036,878

974,447

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Birmingham Austin, TX 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Birmingham
Austin, TX

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

Birmingham vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birmingham 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 Birmingham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,395 in Birmingham versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,500 per month in Birmingham versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Birmingham runs roughly 133% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,500 in Birmingham versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Birmingham but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Birmingham 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 Birmingham 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.