Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Mishref

For one person, living is cheaper in Mishref: $1,409 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Mishref
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Mishref Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Mishref

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,409 in Mishref.

Austin, TX $2,663
Mishref $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,326 in Mishref.

Austin, TX $4,133
Mishref $2,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,243 in Mishref.

Austin, TX $5,603
Mishref $3,243

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 89% more expensive than in Mishref, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Mishref 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.70 KWD 3.91

63.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$65.3 KWD 20.10

29.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.82 KWD 2.72

39.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 KWD 1.47

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.09 KWD 1.57

10.61%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.70 KWD 0.22

431.43%

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

$1.56 KWD 0.48

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.54 KWD 0.47

143.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.89 KWD 0.58

72.49%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.04 KWD 0.63

104.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.39 KWD 1.35

193.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.79 KWD 2.09

108.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.28 KWD 3.17

57.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.44 KWD 0.75

77.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.84 KWD 0.57

-20.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.76 KWD 0.54

156.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.53 KWD 0.47

183.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.31 KWD 0.40

96.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.43 KWD 0.44

64.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.30 KWD 0.71

-22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.57 KWD 0.18

289.47%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.67 KWD 0.82

270.04%

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

$0.79 KWD 0.24

88.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.84 KWD 1.49

-43.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.13 KWD 0.96

-46.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$16.12 KWD 4.97

118.98%

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

$20.5K KWD 6,302

76.23%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.9K KWD 6,123

36.22%

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

$229 $229

$64.4 KWD 19.85

255.46%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$22.30 KWD 6.87

166.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$30.29 KWD 9.33

130.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$101 KWD 31.01

-43.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.32 KWD 3.49

26.15%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$303 KWD 93.4

396.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,536 KWD 2,938

125.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$37.54 KWD 11.57

40.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$39.03 KWD 12.03

12.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$96.0 KWD 29.56

-11.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$87.6 KWD 26.97

17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$715 KWD 220

166.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$650 KWD 200

96.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,795 KWD 553

104.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,371 KWD 422

85.15%

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

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 Mishref: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Mishref

$650 46.1% 49% $624

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Mishref

$185 13.2% 54.2% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Mishref

$117 8.3% 67.3% $241

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Mishref

$193 13.7% 45.4% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Mishref

$117 8.3% 8.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Mishref

$123 8.8% 43.7% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Mishref

$24 * 1.7% 59.7% $35

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 $715 in Mishref. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $65.0 in Mishref for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $185 per month, with Mishref cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇼 Mishref

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

06:21 6:21 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

40,945

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Mishref 12,470 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Mishref

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 Mishref: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mishref wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mishref the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,114 in Mishref 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $715 in Mishref. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $303 in Mishref. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mishref – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,409 in Mishref versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mishref but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mishref 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 Mishref 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 Mishref gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.