Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,193 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
129

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

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,193

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/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: $3,193 in Cambridge versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Cambridge $3,193
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,497 in Cambridge versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Cambridge $4,497
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,801 in Cambridge versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Cambridge $5,801
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Cambridge is roughly 18% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 138% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.44 £16.20

$20.22 $20.22

6.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 £67.6

$85.0 $85.0

5.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$12.35 $12.35

-15.87%

Cappuccino

$4.65 £3.51

$5.47 $5.47

-14.99%

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

$2.82 £2.13

$3.82 $3.82

-26.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.43

$2.50 $2.50

-24.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.64 £5.77

$8.06 $8.06

-5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 £4.93

$8.99 $8.99

-27.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.19

$1.13 $1.13

38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 £1.37

$3.78 $3.78

-52.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 £1.88

$3.25 $3.25

-23.69%

Eggs

$4.56 £3.44

$4.14 $4.14

10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 £7.25

$13.08 $13.08

-26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 £6.99

$14.31 $14.31

-35.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.65

$15.96 $15.96

-3.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 £2.20

$4.38 $4.38

-33.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.30

$1.45 $1.45

18.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 £2.77

$4.54 $4.54

-19.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 £2.59

$4.19 $4.19

-18.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 £1.33

$2.63 $2.63

-33.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 £1.39

$2.36 $2.36

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.76 $1.76

-26.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.48

$2.16 $2.16

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.60 £17.07

$9.81 $9.81

130.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 £8.44

$14.72 $14.72

-24.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.48

$2.78 $2.78

17.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 £3.11

$3.48 $3.48

18.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.94

$1.49 $1.49

161.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.4 £70.6

$40.51 $40.51

130.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.05 £6.09

$2.67 $2.67

201.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 £1.94

$1.58 $1.58

62.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.3 £38.03

$35.29 $35.29

42.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$0.99 $0.99

111.11%

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

$38.2K £28.9K

$35.8K $35.8K

6.76%

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

$40.8K £30.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

50.12%

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

$336 £254

$219 $219

53.25%

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

$18.66 £14.10

$58.0 $58.0

-67.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.12 £31.83

$68.4 $68.4

-38.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 £48.79

$57.9 $57.9

11.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.61 £15.57

$14.82 $14.82

39.07%

Cinema Ticket

$17.06 £12.89

$14.13 $14.13

20.74%

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

$2,538 £1,918

$1,509 $1,509

68.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K £26.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

63.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 £66.6

$51.7 $51.7

70.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 £35.54

$44.05 $44.05

6.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £70.5

$85.1 $85.1

9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 £97.2

$105 $105

22.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,572

$1,932 $1,932

7.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 £1,297

$1,272 $1,272

34.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,168 £2,394

$3,670 $3,670

-13.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,686 £2,030

$2,525 $2,525

6.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,021 £6,817

$7,617 $7,617

18.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,852 £4,422

$3,199 $3,199

82.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,402 £3,327

$5,105 $5,105

-13.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

6.79

-25.77%

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

Last update for Cambridge: 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

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 25.9% $444

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$397 12.6%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 12.9% $51

Eating Out

Cambridge

$329 10.4%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 5.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$325 10.3%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 24.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$161 5.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 19.9% $32

Getting Around

Cambridge

$130 4.1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 56.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$99 3.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 12.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,080 in Cambridge and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89.0 in Cambridge vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $403, with Cambridge cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

6 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

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 = 0.848 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

Cambridge Austin, TX 7,890 km ≈ 10 h 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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Cambridge. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 16% 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: $2,080 in Cambridge 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 $3,193 per month in Cambridge versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 131% less than in Cambridge. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Austin, TX delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,704 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Austin, TX hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cambridge and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.