Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Rochester: $2,128 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Rochester
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Rochester Living Index
130

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

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Rochester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,128

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,128 in Rochester versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Rochester $2,128
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,234 in Rochester versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Rochester $3,234
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,339 in Rochester versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Rochester $4,339
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Rochester costs roughly 20% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rochester 58% above, Austin, TX 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.24 £18.94

$20.77 $20.77

21.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 £71.6

$84.6 $84.6

12.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 £7.47

$12.32 $12.32

-19.16%

Cappuccino

$4.96 £3.72

$5.63 $5.63

-11.90%

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

$2.34 £1.75

$3.72 $3.72

-37.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$2.50 $2.50

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 £3.94

$8.05 $8.05

-34.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 £3.45

$9.01 $9.01

-48.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.12 $1.12

55.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 £1.53

$3.75 $3.75

-45.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.61

$3.26 $3.26

-34.05%

Eggs

$3.51 £2.63

$4.17 $4.17

-15.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.11 £4.58

$12.90 $12.90

-52.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.49 £5.62

$14.16 $14.16

-47.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 £11.03

$16.22 $16.22

-9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 £2.06

$4.33 $4.33

-36.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.46 $1.46

34.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 £1.71

$4.51 $4.51

-49.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.55

$4.34 $4.34

-21.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$2.58 $2.58

-25.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 £0.93

$2.35 $2.35

-47.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.85

$1.78 $1.78

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.22 $2.22

-23.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.77 £17.84

$9.88 $9.88

140.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 £8.06

$15.08 $15.08

-28.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$2.92 $2.92

0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.46 $3.46

-9.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.02 £3.02

$1.49 $1.49

169.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 £3.85

$2.73 $2.73

87.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 £2.00

$1.66 $1.66

60.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.46 £29.60

$35.30 $35.30

11.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$0.95 $0.95

116.84%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$36.0K $36.0K

4.53%

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

$40.7K £30.5K

$27.1K $27.1K

50.15%

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

$227 £171

$229 $229

-0.66%

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

$16.59 £12.45

$59.4 $59.4

-72.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.47 £27.36

$69.9 $69.9

-47.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.43 £29.58

$57.2 $57.2

-31.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 £12.89

$14.28 $14.28

20.31%

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

$1,312 £984

$1,506 $1,506

-12.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.0K £22.5K

$21.5K $21.5K

39.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 £67.8

$52.8 $52.8

71.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.47 £33.36

$43.82 $43.82

1.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £78.0

$84.8 $84.8

22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 £65.8

$103 $103

-14.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,155

$1,907 $1,907

-19.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$959 £719

$1,274 $1,274

-24.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 £1,496

$3,664 $3,664

-45.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 £1,234

$2,538 $2,538

-35.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,236 £3,928

$7,614 $7,614

-31.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,491 £3,369

$3,157 $3,157

42.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,376 £2,533

$5,121 $5,121

-34.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

6.79

-24.59%

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

Last update for Rochester: 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

Rochester

$959 45.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 32.9% $315

Eating Out

Rochester

$346 16.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 2.3% $7.9

Groceries & Markets

Rochester

$287 13.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 40.8% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rochester

$281 13.2%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 27.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Rochester

$147 6.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 12.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rochester

$74 3.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 16.3% $12

Getting Around

Rochester

$35 * 1.6%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 70% $24

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 $1,539 in Rochester and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 52% 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 Rochester vs $85.0 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $405, with Rochester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Rochester

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

09:01 9:01 AM

6 h behind Rochester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,982

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rochester Austin, TX 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rochester
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

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

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

On paper, salaries run 52% 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: $1,539 in Rochester versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,312 in Rochester 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 Rochester – a meal for two runs $95.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,128 in Rochester versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rochester but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Rochester 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.

Expats usually find Rochester gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.