Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,317 in Dhahran.

Austin, TX $2,663
Dhahran $1,317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,671 in Dhahran.

Austin, TX $4,133
Dhahran $1,671

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,026 in Dhahran.

Austin, TX $5,603
Dhahran $2,026

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 102% more expensive than in Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Dhahran is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.30 SAR 19.90

291.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$39.17 SAR 147

115.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.35 SAR 23.81

94.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.01 SAR 15.03

40.40%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.74 SAR 2.76

402.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.19 SAR 0.70

1215.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-32.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.97 SAR 3.62

286.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.97 SAR 7.41

65.48%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.87 SAR 14.54

7.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.59 SAR 32.23

50.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.92 SAR 40.97

29.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.89 SAR 52.1

16.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.15 SAR 8.07

101.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.39 SAR 5.21

5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.78 SAR 6.69

153.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.80 SAR 6.74

141.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.50 SAR 5.61

72.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.96 SAR 3.61

144.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.97 SAR 7.39

-9.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.85 SAR 3.19

161.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.57 SAR 20.92

77.38%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.83 SAR 3.11

79.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.36 SAR 5.12

100.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-48.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.52 SAR 35.73

270.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.65 SAR 2.44

46.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

-32.27%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

30.87%

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

$229 $229

$59.0 SAR 221

288.05%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$42.19 SAR 158

40.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$64.9 SAR 244

7.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$195 SAR 731

-70.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$93.5 SAR 351

-82.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.56 SAR 39.62

35.23%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$65.3 SAR 245

2205.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

61.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$50.6 SAR 190

4.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$41.79 SAR 157

4.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$76.9 SAR 289

10.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$90.4 SAR 339

13.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$361 SAR 1,355

428.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$453 SAR 1,700

181.22%

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

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

83.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.5

50.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Dhahran

$453 34.4% 64.4% $821

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Dhahran

$231 17.6% 42.9% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Dhahran

$166 12.6% 53.6% $192

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Dhahran

$113 8.6% 68% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Dhahran

$117 8.9% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Dhahran

$216 16.4% 152% $130

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6% 64.3% $38

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $361 in Dhahran. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 84% 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 $39.00 in Dhahran for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $231 per month, with Dhahran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

120,521

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

SAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Dhahran 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran wins on cost – living expenses run 102% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dhahran the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 84% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $361 in Dhahran. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $65.3 in Dhahran. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhahran – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,317 in Dhahran versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dhahran but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Dhahran 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 Dhahran 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 Dhahran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.