Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Riffa

For one person, living is cheaper in Riffa: $1,208 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,208 in Riffa.

Austin, TX $2,663
Riffa $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,870 in Riffa.

Austin, TX $4,133
Riffa $1,870

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,533 in Riffa.

Austin, TX $5,603
Riffa $2,533

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 121% more expensive than in Riffa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.19 BHD 1.96

300.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$39.26 BHD 14.82

115.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.08 BHD 2.29

102.63%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.03 BHD 1.52

39.70%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.69 BHD 0.26

439.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 BHD 0.09

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.64 BHD 2.50

21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.81 BHD 2.95

15.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.42 BHD 0.54

-21.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.69 BHD 0.26

443.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.86 BHD 0.70

75.27%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.23 BHD 0.84

87.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.86 BHD 2.97

64.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.23 BHD 2.35

127.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.42 BHD 3.18

92.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.39 BHD 0.90

81.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.71 BHD 0.65

-14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.82 BHD 0.69

147.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.08 BHD 0.41

301.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.05 BHD 0.40

145.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.68 BHD 0.26

245.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.55 BHD 0.21

223.64%

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

$5.15 BHD 1.94

91.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.03 BHD 4.92

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.80 BHD 0.68

62.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.62 BHD 0.99

32.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.81 BHD 0.30

83.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$35.31 BHD 13.33

18.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.34 BHD 2.01

-48.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.50 BHD 1.32

-52.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.48 BHD 3.96

236.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.49 BHD 0.19

93.88%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.8K BHD 8,612

57.98%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.9K BHD 7,897

29.38%

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

$229 $229

$131 BHD 49.58

74.31%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.06 BHD 9.08

146.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$35.71 BHD 13.48

95.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$72.9 BHD 27.52

-21.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.12 BHD 4.95

24.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.46 BHD 3.95

36.52%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$483 BHD 182

211.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,695 BHD 2,149

276.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$29.39 BHD 11.09

79.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$21.24 BHD 8.02

106.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$65.7 BHD 24.80

29.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$39.04 BHD 14.73

163.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$914 BHD 345

108.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$425 BHD 160

199.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,519 BHD 573

141.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$865 BHD 327

193.36%

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

$1,370 BHD 517

273.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.5

23.45%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Riffa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Riffa

$425 35.2% 66.7% $849

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Riffa

$206 17.1% 49.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Riffa

$191 15.8% 46.7% $167

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Riffa

$161 13.3% 54.6% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Riffa

$70 5.8% 45.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Riffa

$94 7.8% 9.4% $8.1

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Riffa

$61 5.1% 4.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $914 in Riffa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 274% 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 $39.00 in Riffa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $206 per month, with Riffa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇭 Riffa

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

16:07 4:07 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

121,566

💱 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 →

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Austin, TX Riffa 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Riffa

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 Riffa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riffa wins on cost – living expenses run 121% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Riffa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 274% 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 $914 in Riffa. 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 $1,208 in Riffa – a 121% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Riffa 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 $1,208 in Riffa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Riffa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Riffa 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 Riffa 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 Riffa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.