Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,607 a month against $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
Learn more

Ellicott City, MD Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,488

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD versus $2,607 in Austin, TX.

Ellicott City, MD $3,488
Austin, TX $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,646 in Ellicott City, MD versus $4,031 in Austin, TX.

Ellicott City, MD $4,646
Austin, TX $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,804 in Ellicott City, MD versus $5,454 in Austin, TX.

Ellicott City, MD $5,804
Austin, TX $5,454

Living in Ellicott City, MD is roughly 34% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ellicott City, MD 156% above, Austin, TX 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$20.35 $20.35

-10.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$84.7 $84.7

12.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 $10.87

$12.12 $12.12

-10.31%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$5.65 $5.65

-4.42%

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

$3.35 $3.35

$3.68 $3.68

-8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.36 $2.36

11.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$7.87 $7.87

-11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$8.82 $8.82

-8.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.14 $1.14

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.69 $3.69

11.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.31 $3.31

15.11%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$4.15 $4.15

10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$12.98 $12.98

30.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$13.86 $13.86

-6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.52 $18.52

$16.34 $16.34

13.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$4.69 $4.69

31.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.45 $1.45

9.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$5.11 $5.11

-19.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.52 $4.52

-9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.08 $3.08

-27.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.38 $2.38

12.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.80 $1.80

30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.22 $2.22

0.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.49 $13.49

$9.97 $9.97

35.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$15.05 $15.05

2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.91 $2.91

-7.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.33 $3.33

-5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.78 $2.78

-35.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.65 $1.65

-18.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$35.39 $35.39

-31.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.95 $0.95

-1.05%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$34.2K $34.2K

-32.57%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$26.8K $26.8K

-9.91%

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

$208 $208

$223 $223

-6.60%

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

$49.91 $49.91

$58.5 $58.5

-14.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 $79.9

$71.2 $71.2

12.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$53.0 $53.0

110.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 $14.57

$14.06 $14.06

3.63%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$1,459 $1,459

31.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K $34.9K

$21.3K $21.3K

63.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

0.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$42.75 $42.75

32.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$86.4 $86.4

8.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$104 $104

7.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 $2,498

$2,112 $2,112

18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,230 $1,230

71.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,056 $3,056

$3,863 $3,863

-20.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,695 $2,695

$2,407 $2,407

11.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,635 $2,635

$3,060 $3,060

-13.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,000 $5,000

$5,179 $5,179

-3.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.82

-0.44%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 24, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.4%

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2% 41.6% $877

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$433 12.4%

Austin, TX

$410 15.7% 5.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$338 9.7%

Austin, TX

$353 13.5% 4.3% $15

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$318 9.1%

Austin, TX

$348 13.4% 9.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$142 4.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.9% 9.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$141 4%

Austin, TX

$81 3.1% 42.4% $60

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.2%

Austin, TX

$56 2.2% 565% $48

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 $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD and $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $96 in Ellicott City, MD vs $85 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $433 vs $410 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

1 h behind Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ellicott City, MD Austin, TX 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, 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

Ellicott City, MD vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Ellicott City, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Ellicott City, MD. 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: $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD versus $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,921 in Ellicott City, MD versus $1,459 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 versus $96 in Ellicott City, 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.

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