Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkwall and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkwall: $2,121 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index
129

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

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Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,121 in Kirkwall versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Kirkwall $2,121
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,026 in Kirkwall versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Kirkwall $3,026
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Kirkwall versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Kirkwall $3,931
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Kirkwall costs roughly 21% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kirkwall 57% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.63 £17.73

$20.63 $20.63

14.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 £71.1

$84.6 $84.6

12.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.93

$12.07 $12.07

-12.43%

Cappuccino

$3.92 £2.94

$5.48 $5.48

-28.47%

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

$3.26 £2.44

$3.80 $3.80

-14.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 £0.98

$2.47 $2.47

-46.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 £4.65

$8.05 $8.05

-22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 £6.36

$8.88 $8.88

-4.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 £0.59

$1.11 $1.11

-28.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.19

$3.72 $3.72

-57.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$3.37 $3.37

-39.17%

Eggs

$3.22 £2.42

$4.32 $4.32

-25.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 £4.95

$13.13 $13.13

-49.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.73

$14.15 $14.15

-36.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 £11.92

$16.33 $16.33

-2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$4.55 $4.55

-51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.46 $1.46

34.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$4.71 $4.71

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$4.15 $4.15

-68.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 £0.83

$2.58 $2.58

-56.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 £0.82

$2.35 $2.35

-53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 £0.58

$1.77 $1.77

-56.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$2.14 $2.14

-49.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.10 £15.08

$10.10 $10.10

99.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 £6.89

$15.19 $15.19

-39.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.82 $2.82

-3.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$3.44 $3.44

-16.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$10.51 £7.89

$1.54 $1.54

582.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.4

$40.99 $40.99

161.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 £3.90

$2.80 $2.80

85.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.93

$1.60 $1.60

61.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$34.34 $34.34

-21.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$0.94 $0.94

118.09%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$34.0K $34.0K

11.38%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

53.76%

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

$282 £212

$223 $223

26.86%

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

$30.12 £22.60

$58.9 $58.9

-48.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.04 £24.79

$70.6 $70.6

-53.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 £31.31

$57.7 $57.7

-27.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 £8.60

$14.26 $14.26

-19.64%

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

$1,237 £928

$1,511 $1,511

-18.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 £68.7

$51.3 $51.3

78.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.72 £32.80

$44.17 $44.17

-1.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.3

$87.0 $87.0

9.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 £103

$104 $104

31.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 £701

$1,940 $1,940

-51.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 £594

$1,316 $1,316

-39.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 £887

$3,664 $3,664

-67.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 £725

$2,565 $2,565

-62.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,914 £1,436

$5,286 $5,286

-63.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

6.79

-25.33%

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

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kirkwall

$792 37.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 66.2% $524

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kirkwall

$346 16.3%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 1.9% $6.5

Eating Out

Kirkwall

$334 15.8%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 4.8% $16

Groceries & Markets

Kirkwall

$252 11.9%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 61% $154

Getting Around

Kirkwall

$167 7.9%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 65.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Kirkwall

$165 7.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 22% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Kirkwall

$65 3.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 33.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $935 in Kirkwall and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 176% 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: $95.0 in Kirkwall vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $406, with Kirkwall cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

6 h behind Kirkwall

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

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 22, 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 22, 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

Kirkwall Austin, TX 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kirkwall
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

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

Kirkwall wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kirkwall the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 176% 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: $935 in Kirkwall versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,121 per month in Kirkwall versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kirkwall runs roughly 161% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,121 in Kirkwall versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kirkwall but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kirkwall 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, Kirkwall 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 Kirkwall gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.