Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hawalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $667 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
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Hawalli Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $667 in Hawalli.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hawalli $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,779 in Hawalli.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hawalli $2,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,892 in Hawalli.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hawalli $4,892

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 299% more expensive than in Hawalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Hawalli is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.89 KWD 1.51

324.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$64.8 KWD 19.97

30.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.77 KWD 2.70

40.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.79 KWD 1.48

17.54%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.44 KWD 0.14

745.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 KWD 0.09

762.07%

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

$1.58 KWD 0.49

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.53 KWD 0.47

145.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.96 KWD 0.60

66.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.08 KWD 0.64

100.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$3.14 KWD 0.97

310.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.72 KWD 1.45

200.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$3.27 KWD 1.01

396.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.47 KWD 0.76

75.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.90 KWD 0.58

-23.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.76 KWD 0.54

156.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.47 KWD 0.45

195.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.31 KWD 0.40

96.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.42 KWD 0.44

65.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.35 KWD 0.72

-24.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.53 KWD 0.16

318.87%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.74 KWD 0.84

260.58%

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 KWD 0.26

79.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$49.05 KWD 15.11

-14.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.73 KWD 1.46

-42.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.29 KWD 1.01

-49.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$15.74 KWD 4.85

124.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.35 KWD 0.11

171.43%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.0K KWD 6,484

71.28%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.3K KWD 6,246

33.56%

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

$229 $229

$66.5 KWD 20.49

244.35%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$22.61 KWD 6.97

162.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$25.42 KWD 7.83

175.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$63.8 KWD 19.66

-10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.40 KWD 3.51

25.26%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$299 KWD 92.1

404.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,529 KWD 2,936

125.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$31.80 KWD 9.80

66.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$39.08 KWD 12.04

12.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$97.7 KWD 30.09

-13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$89.1 KWD 27.45

15.62%

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

$3,238 KWD 998

-21.61%

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

$1,865 KWD 575

174.60%

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 Hawalli: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hawalli

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hawalli

$151 22.6% 62.8% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hawalli

$115 17.2% 68% $244

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hawalli

$126 18.9% 64.4% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hawalli

$116 17.4% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hawalli

$87 13% 1% $0.8

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hawalli

$74 11% 25.3% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays 175% 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 $65.0 in Hawalli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $151 per month, with Hawalli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

05:58 5:58 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

164,212

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

KWD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Hawalli 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hawalli

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 Hawalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawalli wins on cost – living expenses run 299% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hawalli the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 175% 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.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $667 in Hawalli – a 299% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hawalli runs roughly 18% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $667 in Hawalli versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hawalli but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hawalli the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hawalli delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $667 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hawalli hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Hawalli 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 Hawalli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 299% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.