Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,255 a month against $2,409 in State College, PA, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in State College, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in State College, PA
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State College, PA Living Index
110

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

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State College, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,409

/mo nomad

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,409 per month in State College, PA vs $2,255 in St. Andrews, rent included.

State College, PA $2,409
St. Andrews $2,255

A couple spends around $3,588 per month in State College, PA vs $3,874 in St. Andrews, rent included.

State College, PA $3,588
St. Andrews $3,874

A family of three spends $4,767 per month in State College, PA vs $5,492 in St. Andrews, rent included.

State College, PA $4,767
St. Andrews $5,492

State College, PA costs about 7% more than St. Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both State College, PA and St. Andrews sit above the global median – State College, PA by 80%, St. Andrews by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$21.47 £16.23

-30.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 $65.6

$84.5 £63.9

-22.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.54 $9.54

$10.62 £8.03

-10.17%

Cappuccino

$3.45 $3.45

$4.67 £3.53

-26.12%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$2.81 £2.13

-13.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.15 £1.63

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 $6.78

$6.51 £4.92

4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$6.59 £4.98

15.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 £1.19

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.74 £1.32

75.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.02 £1.52

Eggs

$3.98 $3.98

$4.45 £3.37

-10.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$7.40 £5.59

25.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 $9.25

$9.44 £7.13

-2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.03 $18.03

$15.43 £11.66

16.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.44 £1.85

47.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.32 £1.00

0.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.84 £2.14

60.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.85 £2.15

42.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.76 £1.33

-1.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.49 £1.13

65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.25 £0.95

79.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.45 £1.85

-38.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.62 $11.62

$22.65 £17.12

-48.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 $14.47

$10.91 £8.25

32.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.73 £2.06

-35.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.01 £2.28

18.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$4.65 £3.52

-52.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.5 $84.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.95 £2.98

27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.44 £1.84

-56.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.90 $22.90

$24.22 £18.31

-5.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.09 £1.58

-46.41%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$37.5K £28.4K

-5.78%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$41.2K £31.2K

-37.88%

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

$157 $157

$239 £181

-34.07%

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

$40.96 $40.96

$12.98 £9.81

215.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$42.73 £32.30

37.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.20 $25.20

$92.2 £69.7

-72.68%

Cinema Ticket

$16.41 $16.41

$13.16 £9.94

24.70%

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

$1,029 $1,029

$1,773 £1,340

-41.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$23.2K £17.6K

18.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.72 $46.72

$94.7 £71.6

-50.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.65 $40.65

$48.10 £36.36

-15.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 $79.5

$104 £78.7

-23.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$87.5 £66.1

47.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 $1,710

$1,354 £1,023

26.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$1,028 £777

23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,788 $2,788

$3,082 £2,330

-9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,155 $2,155

$2,706 £2,045

-20.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,616 $2,616

$6,113 £4,621

-57.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,405 $2,405

$2,693 £2,036

-10.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 $4,385

$3,284 £2,483

33.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.41

19.41%

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

Last update for State College, PA: October 3, 2026

Last update for St. Andrews: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

State College, PA

$1.3K 52.5%

St. Andrews

$1K 45.6% 18.8% $239

Groceries & Markets

State College, PA

$341 14.1%

St. Andrews

$305 13.5% 10.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

State College, PA

$257 10.7%

St. Andrews

$295 13.1% 14.5% $37

Eating Out

State College, PA

$255 10.6%

St. Andrews

$325 14.4% 27.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

State College, PA

$133 5.5%

St. Andrews

$151 6.7% 13% $17

Getting Around

State College, PA

$104 4.3%

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.5% 66.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

State College, PA

$58 2.4%

St. Andrews

$119 5.3% 104% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,710 in State College, PA versus $1,354 in St. Andrews. 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 34% 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 $66.0 in State College, PA versus $84.0 in St. Andrews. Groceries tell a different story – $341 in State College, PA vs $305 in St. Andrews – so St. Andrews wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 State College, PA

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

5 h ahead of State College, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,501

16,460

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 9, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 9, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

State College, PA
St. Andrews

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,409 in State College, PA, $2,255 in St. Andrews – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,613 per month in State College, PA and $3,383 in St. Andrews. 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 $66.0 in State College, PA and $84.0 in St. Andrews. 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 $2,255, than in State College, PA at $2,409. 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.