Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Belait: $1,699 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Kuala Belait

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,699 in Kuala Belait.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kuala Belait $1,699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,569 in Kuala Belait.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kuala Belait $2,569

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,438 in Kuala Belait.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kuala Belait $3,438

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 59% more expensive than in Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Kuala Belait 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.91 BND 10.12

155.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$46.43 BND 59.4

83.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.85 BND 10.05

57.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 BND 2.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.41 BND 5.64

24.04%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.89 BND 1.15

329.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.50 BND 0.64

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.84 BND 2.36

-38.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.43 BND 3.12

55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.25 BND 2.88

44.44%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.58 BND 3.31

60.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$18.59 BND 23.80

-29.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.85 BND 12.61

45.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$24.88 BND 31.85

-35.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.69 BND 6.00

-6.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.17 BND 2.78

-33.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.83 BND 6.18

-6.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.47 BND 3.17

69.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.71 BND 2.19

53.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.90 BND 3.71

-18.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$5.54 BND 7.09

-68.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.93 BND 1.19

132.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.59 BND 14.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.99 BND 7.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$7.86 BND 10.07

24.81%

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)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.99 BND 5.11

-33.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.43 BND 4.39

-53.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$11.59 BND 14.84

204.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.35 BND 0.45

182.86%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$30.7K BND 39.3K

16.67%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$27.2K BND 34.9K

-0.26%

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

$219 $219

$38.45 BND 49.23

470.27%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$21.58 BND 27.63

168.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$64.4 BND 82.4

6.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$95.9 BND 123

-39.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$27.34 BND 35.00

-45.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.51 BND 7.05

156.44%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$217 BND 278

593.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,398 BND 12.0K

128.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$74.8 BND 95.8

-30.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$101 BND 129

-56.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$153 BND 196

-44.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$71.4 BND 91.4

47.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$753 BND 964

156.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$771 BND 987

65.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,193 BND 1,527

207.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,177 BND 1,506

114.59%

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

$3,398 BND 4,350

50.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.88

75.00%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kuala Belait

$771 45.3% 39.4% $501

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.8% 12.1% $49

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kuala Belait

$145 8.5% 58.3% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kuala Belait

$124 7.3% 64% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kuala Belait

$180 10.6% 39.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kuala Belait

$107 6.3% 24.1% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2% 62.9% $36

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 $753 in Kuala Belait. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 50% 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 $46.00 in Kuala Belait for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $354 per month, with Kuala Belait cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

19:27 7:27 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

31,178

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

BND to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kuala Belait 14,860 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuala Belait wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kuala Belait the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% 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 $753 in Kuala Belait. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $217 in Kuala Belait. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuala Belait – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,699 in Kuala Belait versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kuala Belait but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Belait 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 Kuala Belait 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 Kuala Belait gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.