Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Chester: $2,365 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
Learn more

Chester Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,365

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,365 in Chester versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Chester $2,365
Austin, TX $2,663

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

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

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,438 in Chester versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Chester $4,438
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Chester costs roughly 11% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chester 75% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 £14.74

$20.77 $20.77

-5.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.2 £65.4

$84.6 $84.6

3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 £7.82

$12.32 $12.32

-15.34%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.69

$5.63 $5.63

-12.61%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$3.72 $3.72

-33.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.50 $2.50

-26.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 £4.86

$8.05 $8.05

-19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 £4.92

$9.01 $9.01

-27.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.12 $1.12

50.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$3.75 $3.75

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 £1.78

$3.26 $3.26

-26.99%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.99

$4.17 $4.17

-4.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 £6.46

$12.90 $12.90

-33.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.21 £6.16

$14.16 $14.16

-42.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 £10.33

$16.22 $16.22

-15.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$4.33 $4.33

-30.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.46 $1.46

15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 £2.12

$4.51 $4.51

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$4.34 $4.34

-33.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.58 $2.58

-24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$2.35 $2.35

-38.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.78 $1.78

-28.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.16

$2.22 $2.22

-30.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.06 £17.30

$9.88 $9.88

133.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 £8.36

$15.08 $15.08

-26.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 £2.13

$2.92 $2.92

-2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.44

$3.46 $3.46

-6.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.49 $1.49

75.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 £51.5

$41.72 $41.72

64.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 £4.00

$2.73 $2.73

95.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.66 $1.66

-16.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.23 £16.68

$35.30 $35.30

-37.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$0.95 $0.95

116.84%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$36.0K $36.0K

4.91%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$27.1K $27.1K

49.25%

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

$339 £254

$229 $229

47.86%

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

$20.84 £15.64

$59.4 $59.4

-64.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.75 £30.58

$69.9 $69.9

-41.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.21 £36.17

$57.2 $57.2

-15.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.02 £11.27

$16.33 $16.33

-8.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 £9.96

$14.28 $14.28

-7.00%

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

$1,591 £1,194

$1,506 $1,506

5.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K £11.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-26.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 £65.9

$52.8 $52.8

66.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.24 £30.94

$43.82 $43.82

-5.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 £74.4

$84.8 $84.8

17.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 £66.5

$103 $103

-13.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 £1,003

$1,907 $1,907

-29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 £789

$1,274 $1,274

-17.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 £1,479

$3,664 $3,664

-46.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 £1,208

$2,538 $2,538

-36.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$7,614 $7,614

-49.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,289 £2,467

$3,157 $3,157

4.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,987 £2,991

$5,121 $5,121

-22.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

6.79

-24.15%

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

Last update for Chester: 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

Chester

$1.1K 44.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 21.2% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester

$400 16.9%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 10.5% $42

Eating Out

Chester

$310 13.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 14.1% $44

Groceries & Markets

Chester

$295 12.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 37.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Chester

$143 6%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

Chester

$91 3.9%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 35.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chester

$75 3.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 14.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,337 in Chester and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 28% 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: $87.0 in Chester vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $405, with Chester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chester

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

6 h behind Chester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,000

974,447

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chester Austin, TX 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chester
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

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

Chester wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chester the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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: $1,337 in Chester 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 $2,365 per month in Chester versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chester runs roughly 64% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,365 in Chester versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chester but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chester 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.

Safety-wise, Chester 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 Chester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.