Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,180 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,704
/mo nomad
Ad Dammam
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,180
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Ad Dammam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,180 in Ad Dammam.

  • Austin, TX $2,704
  • Ad Dammam $1,180

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,809 in Ad Dammam.

  • Austin, TX $4,133
  • Ad Dammam $1,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,437 in Ad Dammam.

  • Austin, TX $5,562
  • Ad Dammam $2,437

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 129% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Ad Dammam is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.22 $20.22
$7.04 SAR 26.45
187.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.0 $85.0
$34.90 SAR 131
143.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.35 $12.35
$6.69 SAR 25.12
84.60%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.89 SAR 7.09
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.31 SAR 8.66
-
Cappuccino
$5.47 $5.47
$3.08 SAR 11.55
77.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 $3.82
$0.76 SAR 2.86
402.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.16 SAR 0.60
1462.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.06 $8.06
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.99 $8.99
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.81 SAR 6.80
-37.57%
White Bread (500g)
$3.78 $3.78
$1.33 SAR 5.01
184.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.25 $3.25
$1.96 SAR 7.36
65.82%
Eggs
$4.14 $4.14
$2.17 SAR 8.16
90.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.08 $13.08
$7.29 SAR 27.38
79.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.31 $14.31
$8.10 SAR 30.40
76.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.96 $15.96
$12.71 SAR 47.73
25.57%
Apples (1kg)
$4.38 $4.38
$2.21 SAR 8.30
98.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.67 SAR 6.27
-13.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.54 $4.54
$1.60 SAR 5.99
183.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.19 $4.19
$1.63 SAR 6.10
157.06%
Potato (1kg)
$2.63 $2.63
$1.13 SAR 4.24
132.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 $2.36
$1.21 SAR 4.54
95.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.28 SAR 4.79
37.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 $2.16
$0.58 SAR 2.17
272.41%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$4.04 SAR 15.18
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.49 SAR 5.60
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.21 SAR 8.29
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.81 $9.81
$7.71 SAR 28.97
27.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.72 $14.72
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.78 $2.78
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 $3.48
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 $1.49
$0.97 SAR 3.64
53.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.51 $40.51
$35.53 SAR 133
14.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 $2.67
$2.71 SAR 10.16
-1.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.58 $1.58
$2.73 SAR 10.27
-42.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.29 $35.29
$13.52 SAR 50.8
161.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.99 $0.99
$0.63 SAR 2.38
57.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.8K $35.8K
$67.2K SAR 252.4K
-46.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K $27.2K
$21.3K SAR 80.1K
27.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 $219
$131 SAR 494
66.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.0 $58.0
$32.52 SAR 122
78.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.4 $68.4
$63.8 SAR 240
7.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.9 $57.9
$75.6 SAR 284
-23.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.82 $14.82
$27.99 SAR 105
-47.05%
Cinema Ticket
$14.13 $14.13
$13.59 SAR 51.0
3.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,509 $1,509
$421 SAR 1,582
258.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K $21.5K
$7,860 SAR 29.5K
172.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.7 $51.7
$42.50 SAR 160
21.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.05 $44.05
$49.83 SAR 187
-11.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.1 $85.1
$95.7 SAR 359
-11.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 $105
$92.1 SAR 346
14.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,932 $1,932
$583 SAR 2,188
231.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,272 $1,272
$370 SAR 1,390
243.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,670 $3,670
$1,003 SAR 3,767
265.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,525 $2,525
$677 SAR 2,543
272.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,617 $7,617
$1,395 SAR 5,238
446.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,199 $3,199
$609 SAR 2,287
425.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Austin, TX
Ad Dammam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,105 $5,105
$1,507 SAR 5,659
238.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
5.9
15.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
$1.3K
Ad Dammam
$370 70.9% $902
Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
$403
Ad Dammam
$202 49.9% $201
Eating Out
Austin, TX
$348
Ad Dammam
$117 66.4% $231
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
$346
Ad Dammam
$228 34.1% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
$129
Ad Dammam
$126 2.1% $2.7
Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
$86
Ad Dammam
$103 19.3% $17
Getting Around
Austin, TX
$57
Ad Dammam
$56 2.1% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $583 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 239% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $35.00 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $202 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🇸🇦 Ad Dammam
🕒 Local time
06:25 6:25 AM
14:25 2:25 PM
8 h ahead of Austin, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
974,447
903,312
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Austin, TX Ad Dammam 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Austin, TX
  • Ad Dammam

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
Austin, TX vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Austin, TX or Ad Dammam?
Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 129% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Austin, TX or in Ad Dammam?
Average pay runs 239% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Austin, TX compared to Ad Dammam?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $583 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Austin, TX compared to Ad Dammam?
All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,180 in Ad Dammam – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Austin, TX compared to Ad Dammam?
A monthly transit pass in Ad Dammam runs roughly 14% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Austin, TX or in Ad Dammam?
At $1,180 in Ad Dammam versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ad Dammam but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ad Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Austin, TX or Ad Dammam?
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.
How safe is Austin, TX compared to Ad Dammam?
Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Ad Dammam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ad Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Austin, TX vs other spots: cost of living compared

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