Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin: $1,785 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
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Elgin Living Index
130

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

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Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,785

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,785 in Elgin versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Elgin $1,785
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,823 in Elgin versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Elgin $2,823
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,860 in Elgin versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Elgin $3,860
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Elgin costs roughly 33% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elgin 32% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.92 £15.70

$20.77 $20.77

0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 £53.7

$84.6 $84.6

-15.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 £7.23

$12.32 $12.32

-21.83%

Cappuccino

$4.30 £3.22

$5.63 $5.63

-23.62%

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

$1.93 £1.45

$3.72 $3.72

-48.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £1.00

$2.50 $2.50

-46.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 £3.19

$8.05 $8.05

-47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 £4.37

$9.01 $9.01

-35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.12 $1.12

47.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.19

$3.75 $3.75

-57.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.51

$3.26 $3.26

-38.04%

Eggs

$3.87 £2.90

$4.17 $4.17

-7.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 £6.91

$12.90 $12.90

-28.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.77 £6.58

$14.16 $14.16

-38.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 £12.79

$16.22 $16.22

5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$4.33 $4.33

-33.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.46 $1.46

0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.16

$4.51 $4.51

-36.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 £2.35

$4.34 $4.34

-27.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$2.58 $2.58

-24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$2.35 $2.35

-34.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$1.78 $1.78

-33.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.22 $2.22

-27.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.59 £17.70

$9.88 $9.88

138.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 £8.33

$15.08 $15.08

-26.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

$2.92 $2.92

11.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.44

$3.46 $3.46

-6.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.35 £2.52

$1.49 $1.49

124.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 £92.5

$41.72 $41.72

195.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 £4.24

$2.73 $2.73

106.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 £0.89

$1.66 $1.66

-28.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.49 £19.12

$35.30 $35.30

-27.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.95 $0.95

117.89%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$36.0K $36.0K

4.25%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$27.1K $27.1K

48.92%

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

$199 £150

$229 $229

-12.95%

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

$19.77 £14.83

$59.4 $59.4

-66.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.93 £29.96

$69.9 $69.9

-42.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 £27.58

$57.2 $57.2

-35.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.30 £3.98

$16.33 $16.33

-67.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 £8.36

$14.28 $14.28

-21.99%

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

$907 £681

$1,506 $1,506

-39.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K £16.0K

$21.5K $21.5K

-0.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.56 £26.68

$52.8 $52.8

-32.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.57 £34.19

$43.82 $43.82

3.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.3

$84.8 $84.8

26.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 £67.2

$103 $103

-13.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 £683

$1,907 $1,907

-52.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 £445

$1,274 $1,274

-53.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 £1,346

$3,664 $3,664

-51.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 £908

$2,538 $2,538

-52.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,984 £3,739

$7,614 $7,614

-34.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,804 £2,854

$3,157 $3,157

20.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,985 £1,489

$5,121 $5,121

-61.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

6.79

-29.90%

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

Last update for Elgin: 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

Elgin

$593 33.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 115% $681

Groceries & Markets

Elgin

$307 17.2%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 31.8% $98

Eating Out

Elgin

$294 16.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 20.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin

$259 14.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 38.3% $99

Getting Around

Elgin

$148 8.3%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 60.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin

$125 7%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 2.4% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin

$59 3.3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 45.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in Elgin and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 158% 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: $72.0 in Elgin vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $405 per month, with Elgin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Elgin

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

07:29 7:29 AM

6 h behind Elgin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,040

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

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Between locations

Elgin Austin, TX 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin
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

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

Elgin wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Elgin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 158% 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: $910 in Elgin 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 $1,785 per month in Elgin versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Elgin runs roughly 196% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,785 in Elgin versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Elgin but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin 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, Elgin 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 Elgin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.