Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,364 in Medina.

Austin, TX $2,704
Medina $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,816 in Medina.

Austin, TX $4,133
Medina $1,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,268 in Medina.

Austin, TX $5,562
Medina $2,268

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 98% more expensive than in Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Medina 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$5.53 SAR 20.75

265.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$32.09 SAR 120

164.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.20 SAR 30.78

50.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.70 SAR 10.15

102.59%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.76 SAR 2.84

402.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 SAR 0.95

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.49 SAR 5.61

-24.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.92 SAR 3.44

310.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.32 SAR 8.70

40.09%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.09 SAR 7.84

98.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$5.44 SAR 20.44

140.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$7.03 SAR 26.39

103.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$12.49 SAR 46.90

27.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.42 SAR 9.10

80.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.98 SAR 7.42

-26.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.29 SAR 8.60

98.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.55 SAR 5.83

170.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.36 SAR 5.12

93.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.37 SAR 5.14

72.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.93 SAR 3.49

89.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.71 SAR 2.68

204.23%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$7.54 SAR 28.32

30.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.05 SAR 3.94

41.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$36.80 SAR 138

10.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.36 SAR 5.12

96.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-5.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$5.71 SAR 21.44

518.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.64 SAR 2.41

54.69%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

-14.36%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

31.60%

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

$219 $219

$149 SAR 558

47.53%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$27.41 SAR 103

111.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$90.7 SAR 341

-24.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$78.9 SAR 296

-26.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$9.01 SAR 33.83

64.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$13.51 SAR 50.7

4.59%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$294 SAR 1,103

413.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

291.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$36.85 SAR 138

40.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$54.4 SAR 204

-19.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$67.0 SAR 252

27.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$70.0 SAR 263

50.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$570 SAR 2,139

239.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$529 SAR 1,988

140.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$779 SAR 2,926

371.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$573 SAR 2,151

340.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,309 SAR 8,670

229.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,356 SAR 5,091

135.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,244 SAR 4,671

310.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.17

62.83%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Medina

$529 39.2% 58.4% $743

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Medina

$191 14.1% 52.7% $212

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Medina

$105 7.8% 69.8% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Medina

$267 19.7% 22.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Medina

$103 7.6% 20.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Medina

$106 7.8% 22.9% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Medina

$51 3.8% 10.9% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $570 in Medina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 310% 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 $32.00 in Medina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $191 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

13:11 1:11 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,100,093

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

SAR to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Medina 12,420 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medina wins on cost – living expenses run 98% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 310% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $570 in Medina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,364 in Medina – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medina runs roughly 10% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,364 in Medina versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Medina but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Medina 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 Medina 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 Medina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.