Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,239 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,239 in Taif.

Austin, TX $2,663
Taif $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,827 in Taif.

Austin, TX $4,133
Taif $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,416 in Taif.

Austin, TX $5,603
Taif $2,416

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 115% more expensive than in Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Taif is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.28 SAR 19.82

293.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$37.38 SAR 140

126.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.31 SAR 27.41

68.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.23 SAR 8.37

152.47%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.70 SAR 2.64

431.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.17 SAR 0.64

1370.59%

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

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.26 SAR 0.97

1342.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.34 SAR 8.80

39.32%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.74 SAR 10.26

52.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.97 SAR 22.40

116.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.11 SAR 26.68

99.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.46 SAR 35.50

71.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.38 SAR 8.94

81.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.72 SAR 6.45

-15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.84 SAR 6.90

145.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.83 SAR 6.86

137.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.31 SAR 4.92

96.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.42 SAR 5.33

65.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.94 SAR 3.54

89.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.82 SAR 3.07

170.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.20 SAR 11.99

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 SAR 5.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 SAR 7.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.36 SAR 27.63

34.24%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.03

39.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$36.19 SAR 136

15.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.30 SAR 4.86

110.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.05 SAR 7.68

-19.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.42 SAR 35.34

274.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.60 SAR 2.26

58.33%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$44.6K SAR 167.3K

-19.15%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.8K SAR 78.1K

30.07%

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

$229 $229

$138 SAR 519

65.71%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$28.04 SAR 105

111.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$67.4 SAR 253

3.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$145 SAR 543

-60.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.23 SAR 49.64

23.43%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$19.68 SAR 73.9

-27.44%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$185 SAR 693

715.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,342 SAR 12.5K

542.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.10 SAR 158

25.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$55.3 SAR 208

-20.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$95.5 SAR 358

-11.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$86.4 SAR 324

19.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$583 SAR 2,187

227.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$368 SAR 1,380

246.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$803 SAR 3,012

356.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$566 SAR 2,124

348.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,395 SAR 8,986

217.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,368 SAR 5,132

130.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,567 SAR 5,880

226.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.54

22.56%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taif: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Taif

$368 29.7% 71.1% $906

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Taif

$181 14.6% 55.2% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Taif

$234 18.9% 34.8% $125

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Taif

$94 7.6% 73.3% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Taif

$126 10.2% 1.8% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Taif

$184 14.9% 115% $98

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Taif

$52 4.2% 11.4% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $583 in Taif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 227% 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 $37.00 in Taif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $181 per month, with Taif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

579,970

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

SAR to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Taif 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taif wins on cost – living expenses run 115% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taif the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 227% 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 $583 in Taif. 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 $1,239 in Taif – a 115% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taif runs roughly 15% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,239 in Taif versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taif but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Taif 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 Taif 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 Taif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.