Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Bayan Lepas

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $737 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Bayan Lepas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $737 in Bayan Lepas.

Austin, TX $2,704
Bayan Lepas $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,228 in Bayan Lepas.

Austin, TX $4,133
Bayan Lepas $1,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,718 in Bayan Lepas.

Austin, TX $5,562
Bayan Lepas $1,718

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 267% more expensive than in Bayan Lepas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Bayan Lepas is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.11 MYR 12.69

550.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$17.08 MYR 69.7

397.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.07 MYR 16.61

203.44%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.82 MYR 11.53

93.97%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.85 MYR 3.46

349.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.59 MYR 2.42

323.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.76 MYR 19.42

69.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.78 MYR 19.53

88.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.50 MYR 10.20

-54.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.95 MYR 3.86

297.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.90 MYR 3.67

261.11%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.03 MYR 8.28

103.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.41 MYR 13.94

319.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$6.75 MYR 27.57

136.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.08 MYR 12.57

42.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.60 MYR 6.52

-9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.15 MYR 12.86

44.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.19 MYR 4.87

252.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.32 MYR 5.38

99.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.21 MYR 4.93

95.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.71 MYR 2.89

147.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.67 MYR 2.74

222.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.08 MYR 20.73

93.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$19.89 MYR 81.2

-25.99%

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)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.67 MYR 2.74

122.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$14.74 MYR 60.2

174.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.61 MYR 6.57

65.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.74 MYR 3.03

33.78%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

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

$27.2K $27.2K

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

$219 $219

$24.26 MYR 99.1

803.83%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$11.88 MYR 48.49

388.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$30.77 MYR 126

122.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$29.52 MYR 121

96.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$7.26 MYR 29.64

104.13%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$4.87 MYR 19.87

190.14%

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

$1,509 $1,509

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$39.73 MYR 162

30.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$26.50 MYR 108

66.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$65.2 MYR 266

30.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$82.3 MYR 336

27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$194 MYR 791

896.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$222 MYR 907

473.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$499 MYR 2,036

636.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$575 MYR 2,347

339.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$970 MYR 3,960

426.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.5

94.00%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Bayan Lepas

$222 30.1% 82.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25% 54.3% $219

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Bayan Lepas

$110 14.9% 68.4% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.1% 80.6% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Bayan Lepas

$96 13% 25.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3% 54.4% $47

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6% 66.6% $38

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $194 in Bayan Lepas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 426% 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 $17.00 in Bayan Lepas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $184 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

217,600

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

MYR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Bayan Lepas 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Bayan Lepas

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 Bayan Lepas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bayan Lepas wins on cost – living expenses run 267% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bayan Lepas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 426% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $194 in Bayan Lepas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bayan Lepas runs roughly 175% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $737 in Bayan Lepas versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bayan Lepas but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bayan Lepas 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 Bayan Lepas 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 Bayan Lepas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 267% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.