Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dammam: $1,226 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Austin, TX, United States
Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,607
/mo nomad
Dammam
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,226
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in 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 Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $1,226 in Dammam.

  • Austin, TX $2,607
  • Dammam $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $1,857 in Dammam.

  • Austin, TX $4,031
  • Dammam $1,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $2,488 in Dammam.

  • Austin, TX $5,454
  • Dammam $2,488

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 113% more expensive than in Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Dammam is 10% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.35 $20.35
$6.49 SAR 24.35
213.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.7 $84.7
$39.23 SAR 147
115.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.12 $12.12
$7.78 SAR 29.21
55.78%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.83 SAR 6.87
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.78 SAR 6.68
-
Cappuccino
$5.65 $5.65
$3.71 SAR 13.94
52.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 $3.68
$0.81 SAR 3.02
354.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 $2.36
$0.28 SAR 1.04
742.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.87 $7.87
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.82 $8.82
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.72 SAR 6.45
-33.72%
White Bread (500g)
$3.69 $3.69
$1.04 SAR 3.91
254.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.31 $3.31
$2.32 SAR 8.71
42.67%
Eggs
$4.15 $4.15
$2.54 SAR 9.52
63.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.98 $12.98
$6.79 SAR 25.48
91.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.86 $13.86
$7.34 SAR 27.55
88.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.34 $16.34
$12.93 SAR 48.52
26.37%
Apples (1kg)
$4.69 $4.69
$2.36 SAR 8.85
98.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.60 SAR 6.01
-9.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.11 $5.11
$1.62 SAR 6.10
215.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.52 $4.52
$1.63 SAR 6.11
177.30%
Potato (1kg)
$3.08 $3.08
$1.25 SAR 4.67
146.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.38 $2.38
$1.32 SAR 4.94
80.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.80 $1.80
$1.35 SAR 5.07
33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 $2.22
$0.59 SAR 2.22
276.27%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.84 SAR 10.65
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.73 SAR 6.51
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.03 SAR 7.62
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.97 $9.97
$7.26 SAR 27.23
37.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.05 $15.05
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.91 $2.91
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 $3.33
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.22 $1.22
$1.04 SAR 3.90
17.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.53 $40.53
$40.52 SAR 152
0.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.78 $2.78
$2.62 SAR 9.83
6.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.65 $1.65
$1.89 SAR 7.10
-12.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.39 $35.39
$13.55 SAR 50.8
161.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$0.65 SAR 2.42
46.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K $34.2K
$27.1K SAR 101.8K
26.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K $26.8K
$23.4K SAR 87.7K
14.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$223 $223
$105 SAR 395
111.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.5 $58.5
$33.70 SAR 126
73.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.2 $71.2
$72.2 SAR 271
-1.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.0 $53.0
$94.5 SAR 354
-43.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.75 $16.75
$36.96 SAR 139
-54.68%
Cinema Ticket
$14.06 $14.06
$14.61 SAR 54.8
-3.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,459 $1,459
$346 SAR 1,299
321.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.3K $21.3K
$7,665 SAR 28.8K
178.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.5 $52.5
$56.1 SAR 210
-6.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.75 $42.75
$62.8 SAR 236
-31.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.4 $86.4
$84.0 SAR 315
2.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 $104
$81.3 SAR 305
27.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,112 $2,112
$440 SAR 1,652
379.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 $1,230
$384 SAR 1,441
220.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,863 $3,863
$889 SAR 3,337
334.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,407 $2,407
$627 SAR 2,352
284.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,426 $7,426
$1,788 SAR 6,708
315.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,060 $3,060
$1,073 SAR 4,025
185.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Austin, TX
Dammam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,179 $5,179
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.82
4.42
54.30%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
$1.2K
Dammam
$384 68.8% $846
Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
$410
Dammam
$198 51.7% $212
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
$353
Dammam
$211 40.1% $141
Eating Out
Austin, TX
$348
Dammam
$124 64.3% $224
Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
$128
Dammam
$128 0.4% $0.6
Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
$81
Dammam
$124 52.4% $43
Getting Around
Austin, TX
$56
Dammam
$57 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $440 in Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $39 in Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $198 per month, with Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🇸🇦 Dammam
🕒 Local time
20:53 8:53 PM
04:53 4:53 AM
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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Austin, TX Dammam 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Austin, TX
  • 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 Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Austin, TX or Dammam?
Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Austin, TX and in Dammam?
You’d need roughly $3,911 in Austin, TX and $1,839 in Dammam 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Austin, TX compared to Dammam?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $440 in Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Austin, TX and in Dammam?
Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $346 in Dammam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Austin, TX and in Dammam?
Dining out is cheaper in Dammam – a meal for two runs $39 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Austin, TX or in Dammam?
At $1,226 in Dammam versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dammam but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Dammam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Austin, TX or 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.

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