Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $2,398 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
130

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

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge 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 Cambridge and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Cambridge versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Cambridge $2,398
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,402 in Cambridge versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Cambridge $3,402
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,406 in Cambridge versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Cambridge $4,406
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Cambridge costs roughly 10% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 78% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.45

$20.77 $20.77

-16.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 CA$78.9

$84.6 $84.6

-34.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 CA$14.07

$12.32 $12.32

-19.16%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$5.63 $5.63

-37.66%

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

$1.98 CA$2.79

$3.72 $3.72

-46.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$2.50 $2.50

-47.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 CA$7.22

$8.05 $8.05

-36.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$9.01 $9.01

-30.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$1.12 $1.12

83.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$3.75 $3.75

-36.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 CA$4.36

$3.26 $3.26

-5.21%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.53

$4.17 $4.17

-23.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 CA$15.33

$12.90 $12.90

-15.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.02

$14.16 $14.16

-19.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 CA$20.22

$16.22 $16.22

-11.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$4.33 $4.33

-8.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.46 $1.46

-19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.66

$4.51 $4.51

-11.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.34 $4.34

-15.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$2.58 $2.58

1.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$2.35 $2.35

-15.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CA$2.88

$1.78 $1.78

14.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$2.22 $2.22

-36.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.82 CA$18.13

$9.88 $9.88

29.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 CA$17.25

$15.08 $15.08

-19.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$2.92 $2.92

-11.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$3.46 $3.46

11.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$1.49 $1.49

63.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 CA$90.3

$41.72 $41.72

53.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$2.73 $2.73

-11.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.66 $1.66

7.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.60 CA$31.95

$35.30 $35.30

-35.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$0.95 $0.95

22.11%

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

$25.8K CA$36.5K

$36.0K $36.0K

-28.31%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$27.1K $27.1K

-31.57%

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

$149 CA$211

$229 $229

-34.95%

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

$42.05 CA$59.5

$59.4 $59.4

-29.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.52 CA$70.0

$69.9 $69.9

-29.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.59 CA$40.42

$57.2 $57.2

-50.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$10.28 CA$14.53

$14.28 $14.28

-28.01%

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

$528 CA$746

$1,506 $1,506

-64.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-24.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$76.7

$52.8 $52.8

2.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 CA$42.16

$43.82 $43.82

-31.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 CA$105

$84.8 $84.8

-12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$103 $103

0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 CA$1,845

$1,907 $1,907

-31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 CA$1,837

$1,274 $1,274

1.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 CA$3,547

$3,664 $3,664

-31.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 CA$2,812

$2,538 $2,538

-21.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,236 CA$5,989

$7,614 $7,614

-44.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,850 CA$5,443

$3,157 $3,157

21.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,938 CA$4,153

$5,121 $5,121

-42.63%

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 Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 1.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$345 14.4%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 17.4% $60

Eating Out

Cambridge

$262 10.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 35.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$241 10%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 49% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$118 4.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 8.7% $10

Getting Around

Cambridge

$85 3.5%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 30.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$49 2.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 74.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,305 in Cambridge and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 74% 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: $56.0 in Cambridge vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $405 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

974,447

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

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

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Austin, TX 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

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

Cambridge wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cambridge the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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: $1,305 in Cambridge versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,398 per month in Cambridge versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cambridge runs roughly 53% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,398 in Cambridge versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cambridge but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cambridge 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 Cambridge gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.