Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and As-salimiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in As-salimiyah: $1,342 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,663
/mo nomad
As-salimiyah
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,342
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in As-salimiyah

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 As-salimiyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,342 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Austin, TX $2,663
  • As-salimiyah $1,342

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $2,258 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Austin, TX $4,133
  • As-salimiyah $2,258

A family of three spends $5,603 per month in Austin, TX vs $3,173 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Austin, TX $5,603
  • As-salimiyah $3,173

Austin, TX costs about 98% more than As-salimiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Austin, TX sits 97% above the global median, while As-salimiyah is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.77 $20.77
$11.26 KWD 3.47
84.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.6 $84.6
$58.5 KWD 18.03
44.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.32 $12.32
$8.65 KWD 2.67
42.43%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.29 KWD 1.01
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.65 KWD 0.51
-
Cappuccino
$5.63 $5.63
$5.05 KWD 1.56
11.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 $3.72
$0.74 KWD 0.23
402.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.31 KWD 0.10
706.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.05 $8.05
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.01 $9.01
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.29 KWD 0.40
-13.18%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 $3.75
$0.69 KWD 0.21
443.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.26 $3.26
$1.87 KWD 0.58
74.33%
Eggs
$4.17 $4.17
$2.13 KWD 0.66
95.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.90 $12.90
$4.40 KWD 1.36
193.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.16 $14.16
$5.30 KWD 1.63
167.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.22 $16.22
$9.78 KWD 3.01
65.85%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$2.12 KWD 0.65
104.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.56 KWD 0.48
-6.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$1.24 KWD 0.38
263.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 $4.34
$1.50 KWD 0.46
189.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.58 $2.58
$1.31 KWD 0.40
96.95%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$0.77 KWD 0.24
205.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.58 KWD 0.49
12.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 $2.22
$0.50 KWD 0.15
344.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.23 KWD 0.99
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.02 KWD 0.31
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.44 KWD 0.44
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.88 $9.88
$2.67 KWD 0.82
270.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.08 $15.08
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.92 $2.92
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 $1.49
$0.83 KWD 0.26
79.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.72 $41.72
$47.63 KWD 14.68
-12.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.73 $2.73
$3.15 KWD 0.97
-13.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 $1.66
$3.24 KWD 1.00
-48.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.30 $35.30
$15.80 KWD 4.87
123.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$0.33 KWD 0.10
187.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K $36.0K
$21.0K KWD 6,461
71.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K $27.1K
$20.4K KWD 6,277
32.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$229 $229
$31.73 KWD 9.78
621.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.4 $59.4
$20.57 KWD 6.34
188.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.9 $69.9
$29.96 KWD 9.23
133.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 $57.2
$97.9 KWD 30.17
-41.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 $16.33
$64.5 KWD 19.87
-74.68%
Cinema Ticket
$14.28 $14.28
$11.20 KWD 3.45
27.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,506 $1,506
$276 KWD 84.9
446.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K $21.5K
$6,239 KWD 1,922
243.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.8 $52.8
$37.85 KWD 11.66
39.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.82 $43.82
$38.85 KWD 11.97
12.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.8 $84.8
$91.0 KWD 28.04
-6.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$63.7 KWD 19.63
61.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,907 $1,907
$871 KWD 268
118.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,274 $1,274
$629 KWD 194
102.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,664 $3,664
$1,783 KWD 549
105.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,538 $2,538
$1,347 KWD 415
88.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,614 $7,614
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,157 $3,157
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Austin, TX
As-salimiyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,121 $5,121
$2,752 KWD 848
86.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
6.53
3.98%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for As-salimiyah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
$1.3K
As-salimiyah
$629 50.6% $645
Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
$405
As-salimiyah
$155 61.7% $249
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
$358
As-salimiyah
$82 77% $276
Eating Out
Austin, TX
$354
As-salimiyah
$181 48.9% $173
Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
$128
As-salimiyah
$104 18.6% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
$86
As-salimiyah
$120 40.2% $35
Getting Around
Austin, TX
$59
As-salimiyah
$70 19.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $871 in As-salimiyah. 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 86% higher in Austin, TX, 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 $85.0 in Austin, TX versus $59.0 in As-salimiyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $405 vs $155 – making As-salimiyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🇰🇼 As-salimiyah
🕒 Local time
02:14 2:14 AM
10:14 10:14 AM
8 h ahead of Austin, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
974,447
147,649
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Austin, TX As-salimiyah 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Austin, TX
  • As-salimiyah

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 As-salimiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is As-salimiyah cheaper than Austin, TX?
Yes – Austin, TX is pricier by about 98%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Austin, TX and $2,014 in As-salimiyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in As-salimiyah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Austin, TX and in As-salimiyah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,663 in Austin, TX and $1,342 in As-salimiyah. That's a gap of about 98%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 14% less in As-salimiyah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Austin, TX or in As-salimiyah?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in As-salimiyah, where all-in costs run around $1,342, than in Austin, TX at $2,663. In As-salimiyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Austin, TX or As-salimiyah more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward As-salimiyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Austin, TX or As-salimiyah?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with As-salimiyah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Austin, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Austin, TX vs other spots: cost of living compared

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