Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and State College, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,285 a month against $2,426 in State College, PA, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in State College, PA
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State College, PA Living Index

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St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

State College, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Andrews and in State College, PA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in St. Andrews and in State College, PA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,285 per month in St. Andrews vs $2,426 in State College, PA, rent included.

St. Andrews $2,285
State College, PA $2,426

A couple spends around $3,891 per month in St. Andrews vs $3,582 in State College, PA, rent included.

St. Andrews $3,891
State College, PA $3,582

A family of three spends $5,496 per month in St. Andrews vs $4,737 in State College, PA, rent included.

St. Andrews $5,496
State College, PA $4,737

St. Andrews is about 6% cheaper than State College, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both St. Andrews and State College, PA sit above the global median – St. Andrews by 69%, State College, PA by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.15 £15.87

$15.30 $15.30

38.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 £65.9

$67.1 $67.1

31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$9.28 $9.28

13.25%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$3.46 $3.46

33.24%

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

$2.84 £2.13

$2.51 $2.51

13.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.75 $1.75

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 £5.07

$6.87 $6.87

-1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$7.51 $7.51

-9.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.12 $1.12

34.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.28

$3.05 $3.05

-43.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$2.04 $2.04

-0.49%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.37

$3.85 $3.85

16.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 £5.53

$9.85 $9.85

-25.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 £7.24

$9.19 $9.19

5.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.56

$18.07 $18.07

-14.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$3.51 $3.51

-28.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.33 $1.33

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$4.50 $4.50

-38.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$3.85 $3.85

-25.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.74 $1.74

-2.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.46 $2.46

-38.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$2.26 $2.26

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$1.54 $1.54

59.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.57 £16.93

$11.73 $11.73

92.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 £8.15

$14.38 $14.38

-24.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.03

$1.70 $1.70

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$3.72 $3.72

-19.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.79 £3.59

$2.23 $2.23

114.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.9 $85.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.04

$4.98 $4.98

-18.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.83

$1.08 $1.08

125.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 £17.80

$22.85 $22.85

3.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.08 $1.08

94.44%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$27.6K $27.6K

38.87%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$25.9K $25.9K

59.23%

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

$243 £182

$160 $160

51.78%

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

$13.40 £10.06

$40.38 $40.38

-66.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.64 £31.24

$59.3 $59.3

-29.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 £68.7

$24.65 $24.65

271.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.06 £9.80

$16.77 $16.77

-22.12%

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

$1,806 £1,355

$1,034 $1,034

74.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K £17.1K

$27.4K $27.4K

-16.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 £71.7

$46.57 $46.57

105.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.97 £36.74

$40.71 $40.71

20.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.8

$81.1 $81.1

27.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 £66.4

$132 $132

-33.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 £1,025

$1,776 $1,776

-23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 £792

$1,270 $1,270

-16.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,104 £2,329

$2,825 $2,825

9.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 £2,058

$2,170 $2,170

26.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 £4,604

$2,365 $2,365

159.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,718 £2,039

$2,083 $2,083

30.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,548

$4,230 $4,230

-19.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

6.46

-16.25%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Last update for State College, PA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2%

State College, PA

$1.3K 52.3% 20.3% $214

Eating Out

St. Andrews

$323 14.1%

State College, PA

$258 10.6% 20.1% $65

Groceries & Markets

St. Andrews

$304 13.3%

State College, PA

$340 14% 11.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Andrews

$298 13%

State College, PA

$260 10.7% 12.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

St. Andrews

$152 6.6%

State College, PA

$135 5.6% 10.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

St. Andrews

$118 5.2%

State College, PA

$58 2.4% 50.5% $59

Getting Around

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6%

State College, PA

$105 4.3% 197% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,366 in St. Andrews versus $1,776 in State College, PA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in State College, PA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in St. Andrews versus $67.0 in State College, PA. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in St. Andrews vs $340 in State College, PA – so St. Andrews wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🇺🇸 State College, PA

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

20:26 8:26 PM

5 h behind St. Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,460

40,501

💱 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

St. Andrews State College, PA 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Andrews
State College, PA

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

St. Andrews vs State College, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,285 in St. Andrews, $2,426 in State College, PA – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,428 per month in St. Andrews and $3,639 in State College, PA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Andrews, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in St. Andrews and $67.0 in State College, PA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in State College, PA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,285, than in State College, PA at $2,426. In St. Andrews it covers expenses comfortably, while in State College, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Andrews – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with St. Andrews. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, State College, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.