Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Austin, TX

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.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
Learn more

Medina Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medina and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Medina costs roughly 50% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 SAR 20.75

$20.22 $20.22

-72.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.09 SAR 120

$85.0 $85.0

-62.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.78

$12.35 $12.35

-33.60%

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

$2.70 SAR 10.15

$5.47 $5.47

-50.64%

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

$0.76 SAR 2.84

$3.82 $3.82

-80.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.95

$2.50 $2.50

-90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$1.13 $1.13

31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$3.78 $3.78

-75.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.70

$3.25 $3.25

-28.62%

Eggs

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$4.14 $4.14

-49.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 SAR 20.44

$13.08 $13.08

-58.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.03 SAR 26.39

$14.31 $14.31

-50.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 SAR 46.90

$15.96 $15.96

-21.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 SAR 9.10

$4.38 $4.38

-44.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$1.45 $1.45

36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

$4.54 $4.54

-49.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$4.19 $4.19

-63.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$2.63 $2.63

-48.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

$2.36 $2.36

-41.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.76 $1.76

-47.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 SAR 2.68

$2.16 $2.16

-67.13%

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)

$7.54 SAR 28.32

$9.81 $9.81

-23.14%

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)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.49 $1.49

-29.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 SAR 138

$40.51 $40.51

-9.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$2.67 $2.67

-49.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$1.58 $1.58

6.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.44

$35.29 $35.29

-83.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$0.99 $0.99

-35.35%

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

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

$35.8K $35.8K

16.77%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

-24.01%

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

$149 SAR 558

$219 $219

-32.22%

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

$27.41 SAR 103

$58.0 $58.0

-52.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.7 SAR 341

$68.4 $68.4

32.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 SAR 296

$57.9 $57.9

36.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 SAR 33.83

$14.82 $14.82

-39.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 SAR 50.7

$14.13 $14.13

-4.39%

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

$294 SAR 1,103

$1,509 $1,509

-80.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

-74.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$51.7 $51.7

-28.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$44.05 $44.05

23.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 SAR 252

$85.1 $85.1

-21.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 SAR 263

$105 $105

-33.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 SAR 2,139

$1,932 $1,932

-70.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 SAR 1,988

$1,272 $1,272

-58.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 SAR 2,926

$3,670 $3,670

-78.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,151

$2,525 $2,525

-77.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,309 SAR 8,670

$7,617 $7,617

-69.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 SAR 5,091

$3,199 $3,199

-57.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 SAR 4,671

$5,105 $5,105

-75.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

6.79

-38.59%

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

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$529 39.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 140% $743

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$267 19.7%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 29.6% $79

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$191 14.1%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 111% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$106 7.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 18.6% $20

Eating Out

Medina

$105 7.8%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 231% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$103 7.6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 25.3% $26

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 12.3% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $570 in Medina and $1,932 in Austin, TX. 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: $32.00 in Medina vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $403 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

22:32 10:32 PM

8 h behind Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

974,447

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

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 = 0.237 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Medina
Austin, TX

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

Medina vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 310% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $570 in Medina versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,364 per month in Medina versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – 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, Medina and Austin, TX 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.