Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,086 in London versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

London $4,086
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,816 in London versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

London $5,816
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,546 in London versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

London $7,546
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in London is roughly 51% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 205% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$20.22 $20.22

31.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$85.0 $85.0

26.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$12.35 $12.35

-15.87%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$5.47 $5.47

5.85%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.82 $3.82

-21.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$2.50 $2.50

-14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$8.06 $8.06

16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$8.99 $8.99

-12.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.13 $1.13

58.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$3.78 $3.78

-45.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.25 $3.25

-28.92%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$4.14 $4.14

21.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$13.08 $13.08

-3.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$14.31 $14.31

-25.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$15.96 $15.96

7.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$4.38 $4.38

-30.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.45 $1.45

-2.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$4.54 $4.54

-32.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.19 $4.19

-19.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$2.63 $2.63

-36.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.36 $2.36

-26.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.76 $1.76

-19.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.16 $2.16

-17.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$9.81 $9.81

136.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$14.72 $14.72

-11.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$2.78 $2.78

14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$3.48 $3.48

26.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$1.49 $1.49

159.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$40.51 $40.51

517.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$2.67 $2.67

113.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.58 $1.58

110.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$35.29 $35.29

64.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$0.99 $0.99

106.06%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$35.8K $35.8K

4.87%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$27.2K $27.2K

50.49%

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

$376 £284

$219 $219

71.52%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$58.0 $58.0

-69.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$68.4 $68.4

-41.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$57.9 $57.9

5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$14.82 $14.82

42.17%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$14.13 $14.13

27.03%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$1,509 $1,509

89.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$21.5K $21.5K

64.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$51.7 $51.7

124.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$44.05 $44.05

22.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$85.1 $85.1

48.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$105 $105

51.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$1,932 $1,932

47.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$1,272 $1,272

80.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$3,670 $3,670

41.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$2,525 $2,525

47.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$7,617 $7,617

149.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$3,199 $3,199

146.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$5,105 $5,105

-5.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

6.79

-31.52%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 44.7% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 20.4% $88

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 12.3% $49

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 15.3% $53

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 80.2% $231

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 37.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 11.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,853 in London and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $108 in London vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $403, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

20:08 8:08 PM

6 h behind London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

London
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

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

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in London. 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 6% 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: $2,853 in London versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $4,086 per month in London versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 517% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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.

Both work as nomad bases, but Austin, TX delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,704 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Austin, TX hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.