Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Belfast

For one person, living is cheaper in El Paso, TX: $2,085 a month against $2,320 in Belfast, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
Learn more

El Paso, TX Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
Learn more

Belfast Living Index

Jump to prices

El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,085

/mo nomad

Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in El Paso, TX and in Belfast

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in El Paso, TX and in Belfast actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,085 in El Paso, TX versus $2,320 in Belfast.

El Paso, TX $2,085
Belfast $2,320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,161 in El Paso, TX versus $3,411 in Belfast.

El Paso, TX $3,161
Belfast $3,411

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,237 in El Paso, TX versus $4,502 in Belfast.

El Paso, TX $4,237
Belfast $4,502

Living in El Paso, TX costs roughly 10% less than in Belfast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Paso, TX 54% above, Belfast 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.44 $18.44

$25.58 £19.19

-27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 $77.6

$92.0 £69.0

-15.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 $12.11

$10.44 £7.83

16.00%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$4.90 £3.68

24.69%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$3.02 £2.26

-24.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.99 £1.49

-18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$8.09 £6.07

-27.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 $6.64

$7.97 £5.98

-16.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.83 £1.37

-55.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.34 £1.75

24.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.67 £2.01

-5.24%

Eggs

$3.54 $3.54

$4.62 £3.47

-23.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$10.66 £8.00

12.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.06 £8.29

6.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$15.61 £11.71

-16.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.26 £2.45

7.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.99 £1.49

-29.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.37 £2.52

-26.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$4.12 £3.09

-11.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.39 £1.79

-8.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.54 £1.16

75.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.40 £1.05

25.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.84 £1.38

-10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$23.83 £17.88

-58.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 $9.59

$12.07 £9.06

-20.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.74 £2.05

-25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.07 £2.30

60.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.04 £2.28

-50.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.94 $47.94

$99.5 £74.6

-51.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 $1.67

$4.61 £3.46

-63.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.51 £1.13

-9.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.92 $26.92

$20.18 £15.14

33.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.09 £1.57

-54.55%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$38.3K £28.7K

-28.31%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$40.2K £30.2K

-36.81%

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

$159 $159

$268 £201

-40.75%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$24.11 £18.09

200.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$45.65 £34.25

51.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.31 $18.31

$47.38 £35.54

-61.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.33 $8.33

$10.58 £7.94

-21.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.01 $12.01

$14.40 £10.80

-16.60%

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

$575 $575

$1,426 £1,070

-59.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,999 $6,999

$18.0K £13.5K

-61.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.33 $45.33

$83.0 £62.2

-45.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.00 $37.00

$46.89 £35.18

-21.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$108 £81.3

-5.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 $173

$104 £78.1

66.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 $1,147

$1,189 £892

-3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$876 $876

$909 £682

-3.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 $1,710

$1,915 £1,437

-10.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 $1,508

$1,362 £1,022

10.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$4,128 £3,097

-54.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,784 $1,784

$2,571 £1,929

-30.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,305 $3,305

$3,255 £2,442

1.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

4.91

32.59%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Belfast: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso, TX

$876 42%

Belfast

$909 39.2% 3.7% $33

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$328 15.7%

Belfast

$349 15.1% 6.6% $22

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$315 15.1%

Belfast

$371 16% 17.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$300 14.4%

Belfast

$337 14.5% 12.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$161 7.7%

Belfast

$154 6.6% 4.3% $6.9

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$62 3%

Belfast

$124 5.3% 98.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$42 2%

Belfast

$76 3.3% 79.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,147 in El Paso, TX and $1,189 in Belfast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Paso, TX pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in El Paso, TX vs $92.0 in Belfast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $349 per month, with El Paso, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇬🇧 Belfast

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

14:58 2:58 PM

7 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

348,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Paso, TX Belfast 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, TX
Belfast

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

El Paso, TX vs Belfast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in El Paso, TX, 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: $1,147 in El Paso, TX versus $1,189 in Belfast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in El Paso, TX versus $1,426 in Belfast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Belfast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,085 in El Paso, TX versus $2,320 in Belfast, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Paso, TX but tight or insufficient in Belfast. The gap between the two cities makes El Paso, TX the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, El Paso, TX is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Belfast, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, El Paso, TX and Belfast 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 El Paso, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Belfast. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.