Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $887 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $887 in Kuching.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kuching $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,389 in Kuching.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kuching $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,892 in Kuching.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kuching $1,892

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 205% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Kuching is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.33 MYR 13.60

507.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$24.53 MYR 100

246.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.87 MYR 19.89

153.59%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.17 MYR 12.93

72.56%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.74 MYR 3.04

416.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.36 MYR 1.47

594.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.51 MYR 18.43

78.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$6.16 MYR 25.15

45.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.31 MYR 9.42

-51.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.26 MYR 5.16

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.15 MYR 4.68

182.61%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.46 MYR 10.03

68.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.95 MYR 44.72

19.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.45 MYR 18.17

221.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.90 MYR 40.42

61.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.17 MYR 12.93

38.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.37 MYR 5.59

5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.40 MYR 9.80

89.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.82 MYR 7.42

130.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.41 MYR 5.75

86.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.19 MYR 4.86

98.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.56 MYR 6.35

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.54 MYR 2.22

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.51 MYR 18.41

117.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$21.59 MYR 88.2

-31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.06 MYR 16.58

-31.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$5.19 MYR 21.19

-32.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.58 MYR 2.37

156.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$12.36 MYR 50.5

227.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.00 MYR 4.09

167.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.24 MYR 5.06

27.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.32 MYR 33.99

324.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.90 MYR 3.68

10.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$40.9K MYR 167.2K

-12.57%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

-24.74%

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

$219 $219

$35.18 MYR 144

523.28%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$9.95 MYR 40.63

482.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$25.26 MYR 103

170.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$30.24 MYR 123

91.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$12.38 MYR 50.6

19.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$4.83 MYR 19.72

192.55%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$135 MYR 551

1018.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,000 MYR 28.6K

206.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$63.3 MYR 258

-18.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$37.67 MYR 154

16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$90.2 MYR 368

-5.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$65.8 MYR 269

60.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$360 MYR 1,471

436.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$245 MYR 1,001

419.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$647 MYR 2,642

467.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$478 MYR 1,953

427.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,073 MYR 8,464

267.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,508 MYR 6,157

112.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$530 MYR 2,165

862.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.37

55.38%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kuching

$245 27.8% 80.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kuching

$271 30.7% 32.8% $132

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kuching

$119 13.4% 65.9% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kuching

$70 8% 79.6% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 10.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 53.7% $46

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 61.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $360 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 863% 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 $25.00 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $271 per month, with Kuching cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

12:54 12:54 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

349,147

💱 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 Kuching 15,390 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kuching

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 Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching wins on cost – living expenses run 205% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kuching the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 863% 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 $360 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $887 in Kuching – a 205% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kuching runs roughly 228% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $887 in Kuching versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kuching the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kuching delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $887 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kuching hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Kuching 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 Kuching gentler on the wallet – expenses run 205% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.