Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $612 in Malacca.

Austin, TX $2,663
Malacca $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $977 in Malacca.

Austin, TX $4,133
Malacca $977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,343 in Malacca.

Austin, TX $5,603
Malacca $1,343

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 335% more expensive than in Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Malacca is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.27 MYR 13.36

535.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$18.71 MYR 76.3

352.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.80 MYR 19.60

156.67%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.83 MYR 11.56

98.94%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.77 MYR 3.15

383.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.54 MYR 2.21

362.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.93 MYR 7.87

317.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.97 MYR 12.10

203.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.72 MYR 7.03

-34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.11 MYR 4.52

237.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.42 MYR 5.78

129.58%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.72 MYR 7.02

142.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$18.49 MYR 75.4

-30.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.59 MYR 18.73

208.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.83 MYR 44.18

49.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.26 MYR 13.29

32.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-17.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.38 MYR 9.72

89.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.64 MYR 6.69

164.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.47 MYR 5.99

75.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.74 MYR 7.09

35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.37 MYR 5.61

29.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.55 MYR 2.23

303.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.19 MYR 17.11

135.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.92 MYR 56.8

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.17 MYR 8.84

34.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.11 MYR 12.67

11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.47 MYR 1.92

217.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$12.40 MYR 50.6

236.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.00 MYR 4.09

173.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.70 MYR 2.85

137.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$12.03 MYR 49.08

193.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.51 MYR 2.10

86.27%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

-13.64%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

-22.42%

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

$229 $229

$51.7 MYR 211

342.92%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$11.20 MYR 45.69

430.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$28.12 MYR 115

148.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$22.13 MYR 90.3

158.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.76 MYR 47.97

38.86%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.02 MYR 20.49

184.46%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$163 MYR 665

823.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

376.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$54.7 MYR 223

-3.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.80 MYR 68.5

160.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$82.3 MYR 336

3.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$97.7 MYR 399

5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$192 MYR 784

892.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,191 MYR 4,861

539.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$804 MYR 3,280

292.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$411 MYR 1,677

1145.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.06

67.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Malacca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Malacca

$261 42.7% 35.4% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Malacca

$91 14.9% 74.6% $267

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Malacca

$95 15.6% 73% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Malacca

$113 18.5% 11.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Malacca

$32 5.3% 62.5% $54

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 68% $40

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $192 in Malacca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1146% 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 $19.00 in Malacca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $261 per month, with Malacca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

07:20 7:20 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

579,000

💱 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 Malacca 15,830 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Malacca

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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malacca wins on cost – living expenses run 335% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Malacca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1146% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $192 in Malacca. 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 $612 in Malacca – a 335% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Malacca runs roughly 236% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $612 in Malacca versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malacca but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Malacca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Malacca delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $612 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Malacca hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Malacca 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 Malacca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 335% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.