Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Budaiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaiya: $809 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Budaiya
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Budaiya Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Budaiya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Budaiya

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 Budaiya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $809 in Budaiya.

Austin, TX $2,663
Budaiya $809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,286 in Budaiya.

Austin, TX $4,133
Budaiya $1,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,762 in Budaiya.

Austin, TX $5,603
Budaiya $1,762

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 229% more expensive than in Budaiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Budaiya is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.33 BHD 2.01

289.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$53.3 BHD 20.13

58.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.65 BHD 2.51

85.26%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.81 BHD 1.81

17.05%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.84 BHD 0.32

342.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 BHD 0.09

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.70 BHD 2.53

20.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$9.75 BHD 3.68

-7.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.38 BHD 0.52

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.06 BHD 0.40

253.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.30 BHD 0.87

41.74%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.30 BHD 0.87

81.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.52 BHD 3.21

51.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.51 BHD 2.46

117.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.64 BHD 3.26

87.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.28 BHD 0.86

89.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.26 BHD 0.85

-35.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.93 BHD 0.73

133.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.38 BHD 0.52

214.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.05 BHD 0.39

145.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.42 BHD 0.54

65.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.51 BHD 0.57

17.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.77 BHD 0.29

188.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.31 BHD 2.01

86.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.20 BHD 6.87

-17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.65 BHD 1.38

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.58 BHD 0.97

34.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.16 BHD 1.95

-47.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.47 BHD 1.31

-52.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$16.13 BHD 6.09

118.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.70 BHD 0.27

35.71%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.7K BHD 14.2K

-4.46%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.5K BHD 7,735

32.09%

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

$229 $229

$151 BHD 56.8

52.11%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.72 BHD 9.33

140.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$35.43 BHD 13.37

97.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.58 BHD 3.99

34.97%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$484 BHD 183

210.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.9K BHD 4,099

97.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$51.4 BHD 19.41

2.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$56.8 BHD 21.44

-22.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$89.1 BHD 33.64

-4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$90.1 BHD 33.99

14.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.21

9.34%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budaiya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Budaiya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Budaiya

$247 30.6% 38.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Budaiya

$211 26.1% 41.2% $148

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Budaiya

$178 22% 49.8% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Budaiya

$129 16% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Budaiya

$21 * 2.6% 75.3% $65

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Budaiya

$23 * 2.8% 61.6% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $53.0 in Budaiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $248 per month, with Budaiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇭 Budaiya

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

21:29 9:29 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

30,702

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

BHD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Budaiya 12,880 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Budaiya

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 Budaiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaiya wins on cost – living expenses run 229% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budaiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,213 in Budaiya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $484 in Budaiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Budaiya – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $809 in Budaiya versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Budaiya but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Budaiya 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, Austin, TX and Budaiya 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 Budaiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 229% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.