Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Harlow: $2,320 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. The total is higher in Austin, TX despite lower rent and utilities.

113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index
130

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

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Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,320

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Harlow versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Harlow $2,320
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,416 in Harlow versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Harlow $3,416
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,513 in Harlow versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Harlow $4,513
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Harlow costs roughly 13% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harlow 72% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.12 £15.84

$20.77 $20.77

1.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.0 £69.7

$84.6 $84.6

9.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.04

$12.32 $12.32

-12.99%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.28

$5.63 $5.63

1.42%

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

$2.61 £1.96

$3.72 $3.72

-29.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.34

$2.50 $2.50

-28.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 £5.03

$8.05 $8.05

-16.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 £5.11

$9.01 $9.01

-24.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.12 $1.12

20.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.03

$3.75 $3.75

-63.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 £0.82

$3.26 $3.26

-66.26%

Eggs

$2.35 £1.76

$4.17 $4.17

-43.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.66 £5.00

$12.90 $12.90

-48.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 £4.59

$14.16 $14.16

-56.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.73 £5.05

$16.22 $16.22

-58.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$4.33 $4.33

-53.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.46 $1.46

-19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 £0.86

$4.51 $4.51

-74.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 £1.47

$4.34 $4.34

-55.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.58 $2.58

-38.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.35 $2.35

-43.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.78 $1.78

-24.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$2.22 $2.22

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.83 £15.63

$9.88 $9.88

110.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 £6.78

$15.08 $15.08

-40.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 £2.04

$2.92 $2.92

-6.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$3.46 $3.46

-44.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 £1.97

$1.49 $1.49

76.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 £4.38

$2.73 $2.73

113.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.66 $1.66

-2.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.14 £15.86

$35.30 $35.30

-40.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.38

$0.95 $0.95

94.74%

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

$37.4K £28.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

3.72%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$27.1K $27.1K

51.63%

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

$220 £165

$229 $229

-4.14%

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

$11.73 £8.80

$59.4 $59.4

-80.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 £21.07

$69.9 $69.9

-59.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.62 £34.22

$57.2 $57.2

-20.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.11 £6.09

$16.33 $16.33

-50.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 £9.43

$14.28 $14.28

-12.04%

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

$1,062 £797

$1,506 $1,506

-29.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £15.0K

$21.5K $21.5K

-6.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 £52.4

$52.8 $52.8

32.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.69 £23.77

$43.82 $43.82

-27.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 £57.8

$84.8 $84.8

-9.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.87 £28.41

$103 $103

-63.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 £1,048

$1,907 $1,907

-26.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 £993

$1,274 $1,274

3.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,253 £1,690

$3,664 $3,664

-38.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 £1,659

$2,538 $2,538

-12.89%

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)

$2,992 £2,245

$5,121 $5,121

-41.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

6.79

-27.69%

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

Last update for Harlow: 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

Harlow

$1.3K 57.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 3.7% $50

Eating Out

Harlow

$334 14.4%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 5.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlow

$259 11.2%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 38.2% $99

Groceries & Markets

Harlow

$209 9%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 93.1% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Harlow

$97 4.2%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 31.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Harlow

$71 3.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 21.3% $15

Getting Around

Harlow

$24 * 1.1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 140% $34

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 $1,397 in Harlow and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 71% 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: $93.0 in Harlow vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $209 vs $405, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harlow

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

6 h behind Harlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,191

974,447

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Harlow Austin, TX 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Harlow
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

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

Harlow wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Harlow the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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: $1,397 in Harlow versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,062 in Harlow 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 Harlow – a meal for two runs $93.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,320 in Harlow versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Harlow but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Harlow 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, Harlow 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 Harlow gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.