Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Austin, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Edinburgh and in Austin, TX: $2,617 and $2,663 a month, rent and utilities included.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
130

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

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,617 in Edinburgh versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Edinburgh $2,617
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,956 in Edinburgh versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Edinburgh $3,956
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,295 in Edinburgh versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Edinburgh $5,295
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Edinburgh costs roughly 2% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburgh 94% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$20.77 $20.77

13.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$84.6 $84.6

23.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$12.32 $12.32

-14.94%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$5.63 $5.63

-9.77%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$3.72 $3.72

-32.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$2.50 $2.50

-14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$8.05 $8.05

0.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$9.01 $9.01

-9.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.12 $1.12

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$3.75 $3.75

-38.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$3.26 $3.26

-30.98%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$4.17 $4.17

21.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$12.90 $12.90

-29.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$14.16 $14.16

-32.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$16.22 $16.22

-0.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$4.33 $4.33

-29.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.46 $1.46

32.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$4.51 $4.51

-25.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$4.34 $4.34

-15.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.58 $2.58

-19.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.35 $2.35

-34.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.78 $1.78

-29.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$2.22 $2.22

-12.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$9.88 $9.88

139.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$15.08 $15.08

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.92 $2.92

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.46 $3.46

-7.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$1.49 $1.49

114.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$41.72 $41.72

131.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$2.73 $2.73

89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.66 $1.66

12.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$35.30 $35.30

-18.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$0.95 $0.95

125.26%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

7.20%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$27.1K $27.1K

52.03%

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

$330 £248

$229 $229

44.13%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$59.4 $59.4

-72.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$69.9 $69.9

-39.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$57.2 $57.2

-22.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

$16.33 $16.33

41.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$14.28 $14.28

0.14%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$1,506 $1,506

16.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$21.5K $21.5K

18.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$52.8 $52.8

52.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$43.82 $43.82

12.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$84.8 $84.8

24.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$103 $103

11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,907 $1,907

-15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$1,274 $1,274

-7.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$3,664 $3,664

-25.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$2,538 $2,538

-17.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$7,614 $7,614

-12.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$3,157 $3,157

46.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$5,121 $5,121

-31.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

6.79

-29.75%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 7.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 7.8% $30

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 0.8% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 21.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 18.8% $30

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 52.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 18% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,611 in Edinburgh and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 45% 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: $104 in Edinburgh vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $405, with Edinburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

6 h behind Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Edinburgh Austin, TX 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
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

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

Edinburgh wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Edinburgh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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: $1,611 in Edinburgh 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 $2,617 per month in Edinburgh versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Edinburgh runs roughly 132% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,617 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Edinburgh hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.