Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riffa and Austin, TX

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,208

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riffa 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 Riffa and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Riffa costs roughly 55% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.19 BHD 1.96

$20.77 $20.77

-75.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.26 BHD 14.82

$84.6 $84.6

-53.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 BHD 2.29

$12.32 $12.32

-50.65%

Cappuccino

$4.03 BHD 1.52

$5.63 $5.63

-28.42%

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

$0.69 BHD 0.26

$3.72 $3.72

-81.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 BHD 0.09

$2.50 $2.50

-90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 BHD 2.50

$8.05 $8.05

-17.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 BHD 2.95

$9.01 $9.01

-13.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 BHD 0.54

$1.12 $1.12

26.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 BHD 0.26

$3.75 $3.75

-81.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 BHD 0.70

$3.26 $3.26

-42.94%

Eggs

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$4.17 $4.17

-46.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 BHD 2.97

$12.90 $12.90

-39.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 BHD 2.35

$14.16 $14.16

-56.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 BHD 3.18

$16.22 $16.22

-48.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.90

$4.33 $4.33

-44.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 BHD 0.65

$1.46 $1.46

17.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 BHD 0.69

$4.51 $4.51

-59.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 BHD 0.41

$4.34 $4.34

-75.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 BHD 0.40

$2.58 $2.58

-59.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 BHD 0.26

$2.35 $2.35

-71.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BHD 0.21

$1.78 $1.78

-69.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BHD 0.21

$2.22 $2.22

-75.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 BHD 1.94

$9.88 $9.88

-47.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 BHD 4.92

$15.08 $15.08

-13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 BHD 0.68

$2.92 $2.92

-38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 BHD 0.99

$3.46 $3.46

-24.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 BHD 0.30

$1.49 $1.49

-45.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.31 BHD 13.33

$41.72 $41.72

-15.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 BHD 2.01

$2.73 $2.73

95.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 BHD 1.32

$1.66 $1.66

110.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.48 BHD 3.96

$35.30 $35.30

-70.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 BHD 0.19

$0.95 $0.95

-48.42%

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

$22.8K BHD 8,612

$36.0K $36.0K

-36.70%

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

$20.9K BHD 7,897

$27.1K $27.1K

-22.71%

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

$131 BHD 49.58

$229 $229

-42.63%

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

$24.06 BHD 9.08

$59.4 $59.4

-59.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.71 BHD 13.48

$69.9 $69.9

-48.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 BHD 27.52

$57.2 $57.2

27.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.12 BHD 4.95

$16.33 $16.33

-19.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 BHD 3.95

$14.28 $14.28

-26.75%

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

$483 BHD 182

$1,506 $1,506

-67.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,695 BHD 2,149

$21.5K $21.5K

-73.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.39 BHD 11.09

$52.8 $52.8

-44.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.24 BHD 8.02

$43.82 $43.82

-51.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 BHD 24.80

$84.8 $84.8

-22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.04 BHD 14.73

$103 $103

-62.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 BHD 345

$1,907 $1,907

-52.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 BHD 160

$1,274 $1,274

-66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 BHD 573

$3,664 $3,664

-58.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 BHD 327

$2,538 $2,538

-65.91%

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)

$1,370 BHD 517

$5,121 $5,121

-73.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

6.79

-19.00%

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

Last update for Riffa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riffa

$425 35.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 200% $849

Groceries & Markets

Riffa

$206 17.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 96.5% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riffa

$191 15.8%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 87.5% $167

Eating Out

Riffa

$161 13.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 120% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Riffa

$94 7.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 8.6% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Riffa

$70 5.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 83% $58

Getting Around

Riffa

$61 5.1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 4.4% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Riffa and $1,907 in Austin, TX. 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: $39.00 in Riffa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $405 per month, with Riffa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Riffa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

07:14 7:14 AM

8 h behind Riffa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,566

974,447

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Riffa
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

Riffa vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 274% 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: $914 in Riffa versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Riffa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – 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, Riffa 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 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.