Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Scarborough: $2,130 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
129

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

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Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,130

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,130 in Scarborough versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Scarborough $2,130
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,096 in Scarborough versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Scarborough $3,096
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,062 in Scarborough versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Scarborough $4,062
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Scarborough 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: Scarborough 57% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 £11.53

$20.63 $20.63

-25.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 £53.4

$84.6 $84.6

-15.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 £9.09

$12.07 $12.07

0.41%

Cappuccino

$3.51 £2.63

$5.48 $5.48

-35.95%

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

$2.05 £1.53

$3.80 $3.80

-46.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 £0.77

$2.47 $2.47

-58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 £3.44

$8.05 $8.05

-43.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 £3.22

$8.88 $8.88

-51.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.11 $1.11

16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$3.72 $3.72

-63.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 £0.81

$3.37 $3.37

-67.95%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.70

$4.32 $4.32

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 £5.94

$13.13 $13.13

-39.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 £5.39

$14.15 $14.15

-49.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 £10.46

$16.33 $16.33

-14.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$4.55 $4.55

-31.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.46 $1.46

36.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 £1.99

$4.71 $4.71

-43.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 £1.57

$4.15 $4.15

-49.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$2.58 $2.58

-32.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.35 $2.35

-31.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.77 $1.77

-35.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 £1.43

$2.14 $2.14

-10.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.58 £16.94

$10.10 $10.10

123.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 £7.19

$15.19 $15.19

-36.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 £2.74

$2.82 $2.82

29.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 £2.70

$3.44 $3.44

4.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.48

$1.54 $1.54

114.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.0 £64.5

$40.99 $40.99

109.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 £4.30

$2.80 $2.80

104.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.97 £3.73

$1.60 $1.60

210.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 £25.19

$34.34 $34.34

-2.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$0.94 $0.94

110.64%

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

$36.0K £27.0K

$34.0K $34.0K

5.85%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

49.12%

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

$356 £267

$223 $223

59.92%

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

$25.99 £19.50

$58.9 $58.9

-55.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 £24.56

$70.6 $70.6

-53.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 £49.59

$57.7 $57.7

14.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.67 £9.50

$16.53 $16.53

-23.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 £7.99

$14.26 $14.26

-25.25%

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

$1,804 £1,353

$1,511 $1,511

19.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K £11.1K

$20.9K $20.9K

-29.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 £49.73

$51.3 $51.3

29.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.54 £26.66

$44.17 $44.17

-19.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.3

$87.0 $87.0

24.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £85.2

$104 $104

8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 £651

$1,940 $1,940

-55.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 £624

$1,316 $1,316

-36.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 £1,143

$3,664 $3,664

-58.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 £1,024

$2,565 $2,565

-46.78%

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)

$910 £683

$5,286 $5,286

-82.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

6.79

-18.56%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 18, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$831 39%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 58.4% $485

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$415 19.5%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 15.1% $63

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$276 13%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 47.1% $130

Eating Out

Scarborough

$245 11.5%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 42.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$146 6.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 11.4% $17

Getting Around

Scarborough

$130 6.1%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 55.4% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$87 4.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 1.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $867 in Scarborough and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 481% 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: $71.0 in Scarborough vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $406 per month, with Scarborough cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

10:25 10:25 AM

6 h behind Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,749

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 20, 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 20, 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

Scarborough Austin, TX 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

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

Scarborough 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 Scarborough the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 481% 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: $867 in Scarborough 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 $2,130 per month in Scarborough 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 Scarborough runs roughly 110% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,130 in Scarborough versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Scarborough but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Scarborough 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, Scarborough 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 Scarborough 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.