Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Qairawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Qairawan: $1,282 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Qairawan
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Qairawan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Qairawan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,282 in Qairawan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Qairawan $1,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,101 in Qairawan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Qairawan $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,920 in Qairawan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Qairawan $2,920

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 108% more expensive than in Qairawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Qairawan is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.23 KWD 2.54

152.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$56.6 KWD 17.45

49.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.21 KWD 2.22

70.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 KWD 0.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 KWD 1.06

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.46 KWD 1.68

3.11%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.53 KWD 0.16

601.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.31 KWD 0.10

706.45%

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

$1.25 KWD 0.38

-10.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.86 KWD 0.27

336.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.09 KWD 0.65

55.98%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.83 KWD 0.56

127.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.45 KWD 1.37

189.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.07 KWD 1.87

133.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.29 KWD 3.17

57.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.20 KWD 0.68

96.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.03 KWD 0.63

-28.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.39 KWD 0.43

224.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.46 KWD 0.45

197.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.44 KWD 0.44

79.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.86 KWD 0.26

173.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.77 KWD 0.54

0.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.50 KWD 0.15

344.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.94 KWD 0.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.37 KWD 0.73

316.88%

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

$3.02 KWD 0.93

-9.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.08 KWD 0.95

-46.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$17.48 KWD 5.38

101.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.36 KWD 0.11

163.89%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.1K KWD 6,797

63.39%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.4K KWD 5,366

55.45%

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

$229 $229

$56.6 KWD 17.43

304.72%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$22.64 KWD 6.98

162.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$30.25 KWD 9.32

131.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$104 KWD 31.90

-44.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.92 KWD 3.06

43.95%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$241 KWD 74.2

525.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,023 KWD 2,164

205.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$34.14 KWD 10.52

54.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$33.91 KWD 10.45

29.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$98.7 KWD 30.40

-14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$91.5 KWD 28.19

12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$826 KWD 254

131.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$588 KWD 181

116.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,625 KWD 501

125.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,229 KWD 379

106.49%

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 Qairawan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Qairawan

$588 45.9% 53.8% $686

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Qairawan

$167 13% 58.8% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Qairawan

$109 8.5% 69.4% $249

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Qairawan

$156 12.2% 55.8% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Qairawan

$116 9.1% 9.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Qairawan

$123 9.6% 43.8% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Qairawan

$22 * 1.7% 63.2% $37

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 $826 in Qairawan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $57.0 in Qairawan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $167 per month, with Qairawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇼 Qairawan

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 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 Qairawan 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Qairawan

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 Qairawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qairawan wins on cost – living expenses run 108% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Qairawan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,923 in Qairawan 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 $826 in Qairawan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $241 in Qairawan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Qairawan – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,282 in Qairawan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qairawan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Qairawan 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 Qairawan 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 Qairawan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.