Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Woodlands, TX and Ashford

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashford: $2,427 a month against $3,121 in The Woodlands, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in The Woodlands, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

153

Cost of Living Index in The Woodlands, TX
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The Woodlands, TX Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
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Ashford Living Index

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The Woodlands, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$3,121

/mo nomad

Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in The Woodlands, TX and in Ashford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in The Woodlands, TX and in Ashford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,121 in The Woodlands, TX versus $2,427 in Ashford.

The Woodlands, TX $3,121
Ashford $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,188 in The Woodlands, TX versus $3,351 in Ashford.

The Woodlands, TX $4,188
Ashford $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,254 in The Woodlands, TX versus $4,276 in Ashford.

The Woodlands, TX $5,254
Ashford $4,276

Living in The Woodlands, TX is roughly 29% more expensive than in Ashford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Woodlands, TX 131% above, Ashford 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 $20.12

$20.96 £15.73

-4.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 $95.4

$79.9 £60.0

19.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 $10.70

$10.49 £7.87

2.00%

Cappuccino

$4.49 $4.49

$5.74 £4.30

-21.78%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.74 £2.05

-7.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.82 £1.37

2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.89 £2.92

28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 $5.52

$7.09 £5.32

-22.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.48 £1.11

-23.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.32 £0.99

71.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.69 £1.26

86.98%

Eggs

$2.29 $2.29

$3.00 £2.25

-23.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$5.22 £3.92

66.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$6.91 £5.18

109.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.02 $26.02

$14.39 £10.79

80.82%

Apples (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$3.28 £2.46

131.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.44 £1.08

-30.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$2.67 £2.01

180.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$3.17 £2.38

141.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.67 £1.25

94.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.46 £1.09

53.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.44 £1.08

-6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.42 £1.07

116.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$18.83 £14.13

-68.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 $11.46

$9.24 £6.93

24.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.67 £2.00

-23.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.63 £2.73

-59.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 £110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 £4.58

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.80 $14.80

$21.44 £16.08

-30.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.07 £1.55

-60.39%

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

$47.7K $47.7K

$35.0K £26.2K

36.51%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$41.1K £30.9K

-39.85%

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

$198 $198

$244 £183

-18.73%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$24.30 £18.23

140.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.74 $49.74

$38.52 £28.90

29.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.63 $35.63

$61.3 £45.99

-41.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.74 £14.06

Cinema Ticket

$18.13 $18.13

$21.45 £16.10

-15.48%

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

$1,076 £808

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K £14.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.84 $37.84

$69.5 £52.1

-45.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.87 $19.87

$31.50 £23.63

-36.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 $62.6

$76.7 £57.6

-18.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 $66.1

$100 £75.1

-34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 $1,877

$1,115 £836

68.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 $1,921

$1,133 £850

69.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,035 $3,035

$1,708 £1,282

77.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,451 $2,451

$1,425 £1,069

72.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,837 $1,837

$6,328 £4,748

-70.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$4,671 £3,504

-60.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,834 $7,834

$2,452 £1,840

219.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

4.91

36.66%

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

Last update for The Woodlands, TX: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Woodlands, TX

$1.9K 61.6%

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7% 41% $789

Groceries & Markets

The Woodlands, TX

$437 14%

Ashford

$262 10.8% 40.1% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Woodlands, TX

$306 9.8%

Ashford

$307 12.6% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

The Woodlands, TX

$301 9.6%

Ashford

$320 13.2% 6.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

The Woodlands, TX

$84 2.7%

Ashford

$125 5.2% 49.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

The Woodlands, TX

$72 2.3%

Ashford

$104 4.3% 45% $32

Getting Around

The Woodlands, TX

- * 0%

Ashford

$176 7.3%

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 $1,877 in The Woodlands, TX and $1,115 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Woodlands, TX pays 219% 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 The Woodlands, TX vs $80.0 in Ashford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $437 vs $262 per month, with Ashford cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 The Woodlands, TX

🇬🇧 Ashford

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

6 h ahead of The Woodlands, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,847

58,936

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

The Woodlands, TX Ashford 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

The Woodlands, TX
Ashford

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

The Woodlands, TX vs Ashford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashford is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 219% higher in The Woodlands, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,877 in The Woodlands, TX versus $1,115 in Ashford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in The Woodlands, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ashford – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $95.0 in The Woodlands, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,427 in Ashford versus $3,121 in The Woodlands, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ashford but tight or insufficient in The Woodlands, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ashford 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, The Woodlands, TX and Ashford 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 Ashford gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in The Woodlands, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.