Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $932 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $932 in Butterworth.

Austin, TX $2,663
Butterworth $932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,402 in Butterworth.

Austin, TX $4,133
Butterworth $1,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,871 in Butterworth.

Austin, TX $5,603
Butterworth $1,871

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 186% more expensive than in Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Butterworth is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.77 MYR 15.38

450.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$19.66 MYR 80.2

330.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.70 MYR 19.19

162.13%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.90 MYR 11.82

94.14%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.76 MYR 3.11

389.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.39 MYR 1.59

541.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.19 MYR 17.09

92.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.30 MYR 17.56

109.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.04 MYR 4.26

260.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.70 MYR 6.94

91.76%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.17 MYR 8.86

92.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.81 MYR 56.4

-6.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.35 MYR 17.74

225.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.79 MYR 35.87

84.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.90 MYR 11.84

49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.33 MYR 9.52

93.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.41 MYR 5.75

207.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.05 MYR 4.29

145.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.13 MYR 4.61

107.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.08 MYR 4.42

64.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.57 MYR 2.33

289.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.46 MYR 18.20

121.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.33 MYR 78.9

-21.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.87 MYR 11.72

1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.90 MYR 19.97

-29.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.70 MYR 2.86

112.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$11.13 MYR 45.40

274.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.20 MYR 4.89

127.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.37 MYR 1.52

348.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.87 MYR 19.88

624.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.89 MYR 3.63

6.74%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$42.2K MYR 172.3K

-14.63%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.2K MYR 139.5K

-20.84%

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

$229 $229

$37.79 MYR 154

505.95%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.58 MYR 34.99

592.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$26.51 MYR 108

163.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.71 MYR 150

55.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$6.90 MYR 28.15

136.67%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.03 MYR 20.50

183.90%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$297 MYR 1,211

407.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.9K MYR 44.4K

97.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$58.9 MYR 240

-10.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.71 MYR 146

22.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$81.9 MYR 334

3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$71.0 MYR 290

45.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$410 MYR 1,672

365.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$314 MYR 1,281

305.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$772 MYR 3,149

374.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$522 MYR 2,130

386.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,053 MYR 8,376

270.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,101 MYR 4,493

186.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.04

68.07%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Butterworth

$314 33.7% 75.4% $960

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Butterworth

$257 27.6% 36.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Butterworth

$73 7.8% 79.7% $285

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Butterworth

$113 12.1% 68% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Butterworth

$111 12% 12.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Butterworth

$47 5% 45.5% $39

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 71% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $410 in Butterworth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $20.00 in Butterworth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $257 per month, with Butterworth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

10:33 10:33 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

339,132

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

MYR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Butterworth 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butterworth wins on cost – living expenses run 186% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butterworth the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,398 in Butterworth to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $410 in Butterworth. 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 $932 in Butterworth – a 186% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Butterworth runs roughly 275% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $932 in Butterworth versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Butterworth but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Butterworth 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 Butterworth 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 Butterworth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.