Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat Hamad: $1,199 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Madinat Hamad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,199 in Madinat Hamad.

Austin, TX $2,663
Madinat Hamad $1,199

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,913 in Madinat Hamad.

Austin, TX $4,133
Madinat Hamad $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,626 in Madinat Hamad.

Austin, TX $5,603
Madinat Hamad $2,626

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 122% more expensive than in Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Madinat Hamad is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.61 BHD 0.99

695.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$53.1 BHD 20.02

59.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.30 BHD 2.76

68.77%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.60 BHD 0.98

116.54%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.90 BHD 0.34

313.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.30 BHD 0.11

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.48 BHD 2.44

24.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$9.81 BHD 3.70

-8.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.40 BHD 0.53

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.04 BHD 0.39

260.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.38 BHD 0.90

36.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.06 BHD 0.78

102.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.59 BHD 3.24

50.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.38 BHD 2.41

121.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.70 BHD 3.28

86.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.16 BHD 0.82

100.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.55 BHD 0.58

-5.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.93 BHD 0.73

133.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.33 BHD 0.50

226.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.02 BHD 0.38

152.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.09 BHD 0.41

115.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.56 BHD 0.59

14.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.55 BHD 0.21

303.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.35 BHD 2.02

84.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.44 BHD 6.96

-18.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.67 BHD 1.39

-20.44%

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

$0.63 BHD 0.24

136.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$34.67 BHD 13.09

20.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.36 BHD 2.02

-49.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.60 BHD 0.98

-36.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$15.62 BHD 5.90

125.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.39 BHD 0.15

143.59%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.6K BHD 14.2K

-4.20%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.7K BHD 7,822

30.62%

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

$229 $229

$155 BHD 58.4

47.97%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.29 BHD 9.17

144.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$18.20 BHD 6.87

284.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$119 BHD 45.06

-52.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$52.4 BHD 19.76

-68.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.16 BHD 1.95

176.74%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$489 BHD 185

208.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.0K BHD 4,170

94.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$50.1 BHD 18.90

5.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$58.5 BHD 22.09

-25.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$88.8 BHD 33.53

-4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$88.9 BHD 33.54

15.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$398 BHD 150

378.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$318 BHD 120

300.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$805 BHD 304

355.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$665 BHD 251

281.46%

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

$669 BHD 252

665.96%

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 Madinat Hamad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Madinat Hamad

$318 26.5% 75.1% $956

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Madinat Hamad

$239 19.9% 40.9% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 44.9% $161

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Madinat Hamad

$131 10.9% 63% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Madinat Hamad

$130 10.8% 51.2% $44

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Madinat Hamad

$56 4.6% 5.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $398 in Madinat Hamad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 666% 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 $53.0 in Madinat Hamad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $239 per month, with Madinat Hamad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

133,350

💱 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 Madinat Hamad 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Madinat Hamad

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 Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat Hamad wins on cost – living expenses run 122% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Madinat Hamad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 666% 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 $398 in Madinat Hamad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,199 in Madinat Hamad – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Madinat Hamad runs roughly 20% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,199 in Madinat Hamad versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Madinat Hamad but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Madinat Hamad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Madinat Hamad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,199 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Madinat Hamad hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Madinat Hamad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.