Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Park, MD and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $3,394 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in College Park, MD outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

163

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
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College Park, MD Living Index
130

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

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College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,394

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,394 in College Park, MD versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

College Park, MD $3,394
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,584 in College Park, MD versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

College Park, MD $4,584
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,774 in College Park, MD versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

College Park, MD $5,774
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in College Park, MD is roughly 27% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: College Park, MD 151% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.76 $15.76

$20.77 $20.77

-24.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 $70.7

$84.6 $84.6

-16.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$12.32 $12.32

-20.13%

Cappuccino

$4.51 $4.51

$5.63 $5.63

-19.89%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$3.72 $3.72

-27.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.50 $2.50

-28.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 $6.33

$8.05 $8.05

-21.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 $6.03

$9.01 $9.01

-33.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.12 $1.12

-22.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.75 $3.75

-33.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.26 $3.26

67.79%

Eggs

$1.98 $1.98

$4.17 $4.17

-52.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$12.90 $12.90

-49.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$14.16 $14.16

-54.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 $20.53

$16.22 $16.22

26.57%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$4.33 $4.33

55.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.46 $1.46

-13.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.51 $4.51

59.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$4.34 $4.34

28.34%

Potato (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.58 $2.58

96.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.35 $2.35

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.78 $1.78

-44.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.22 $2.22

45.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 $9.25

$9.88 $9.88

-6.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 $11.81

$15.08 $15.08

-21.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.92 $2.92

-42.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.46 $3.46

9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.49 $1.49

98.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.73 $2.73

50.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.66 $1.66

24.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.02 $25.02

$35.30 $35.30

-29.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.95 $0.95

-1.05%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$36.0K $36.0K

1.40%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$27.1K $27.1K

-8.19%

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

$244 $244

$229 $229

6.62%

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

$49.20 $49.20

$59.4 $59.4

-17.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$69.9 $69.9

-2.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.30 $39.30

$57.2 $57.2

-31.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$14.28 $14.28

4.76%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$1,506 $1,506

34.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.60 $47.60

$52.8 $52.8

-9.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.13 $33.13

$43.82 $43.82

-24.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$84.8 $84.8

39.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$103 $103

32.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 $2,293

$1,907 $1,907

20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 $2,136

$1,274 $1,274

67.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,864 $3,864

$3,664 $3,664

5.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 $3,065

$2,538 $2,538

20.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,294 $6,294

$5,121 $5,121

22.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

6.79

-8.25%

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

Last update for College Park, MD: 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

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 40.4% $862

Groceries & Markets

College Park, MD

$378 11.2%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 6.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Park, MD

$361 10.7%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 0.9% $3.1

Eating Out

College Park, MD

$271 8%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 30.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

College Park, MD

$151 4.5%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 15.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

College Park, MD

$69 2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 24% $17

Getting Around

College Park, MD

$26 * 0.8%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 124% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in College Park, MD and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Park, MD pays 23% 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: $71.0 in College Park, MD vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $405 per month, with College Park, MD cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

1 h behind College Park, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,740

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

College Park, MD Austin, TX 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

College Park, MD
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

College Park, MD vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in College Park, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% higher in College Park, MD, 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: $2,293 in College Park, MD versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,026 in College Park, MD versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $71.0 in College Park, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in College Park, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.