Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Muar

For one person, living is cheaper in Muar: $951 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Muar
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Muar Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Muar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $951 in Muar.

Austin, TX $2,607
Muar $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $1,505 in Muar.

Austin, TX $4,031
Muar $1,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $2,059 in Muar.

Austin, TX $5,454
Muar $2,059

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 174% more expensive than in Muar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Muar is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$4.82 MYR 19.72

322.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$29.01 MYR 119

192.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$3.88 MYR 15.86

212.37%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.05 MYR 12.46

85.25%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.76 MYR 3.12

384.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.46 MYR 1.88

413.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.44 MYR 18.14

77.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$6.27 MYR 25.63

40.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.13 MYR 8.72

-46.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.07 MYR 4.37

244.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.85 MYR 7.58

78.92%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.44 MYR 9.96

70.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$14.25 MYR 58.3

-8.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$4.44 MYR 18.17

212.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$9.95 MYR 40.68

64.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.36 MYR 13.75

39.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.25 MYR 9.19

127.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.51 MYR 6.19

199.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.22 MYR 4.97

152.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.37 MYR 5.60

73.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.16 MYR 4.74

55.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.71 MYR 2.91

212.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$4.45 MYR 18.19

124.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$19.48 MYR 79.7

-22.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.48 MYR 14.24

-16.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$4.99 MYR 20.42

-33.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.64 MYR 2.63

90.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$10.62 MYR 43.43

281.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.19 MYR 4.85

133.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.25 MYR 5.10

32.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$4.87 MYR 19.93

626.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.81 MYR 3.32

17.28%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$44.4K MYR 181.6K

-23.03%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-23.23%

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

$223 $223

$62.0 MYR 254

259.50%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$8.88 MYR 36.32

558.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$26.21 MYR 107

171.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$37.02 MYR 151

43.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$5.79 MYR 23.66

189.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$4.85 MYR 19.83

189.90%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$240 MYR 981

508.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$13.3K MYR 54.5K

60.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$72.2 MYR 295

-27.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$41.83 MYR 171

2.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$84.3 MYR 345

2.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$96.3 MYR 394

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$445 MYR 1,818

374.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$253 MYR 1,033

387.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$617 MYR 2,521

526.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$518 MYR 2,117

364.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$2,001 MYR 8,180

271.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,229 MYR 5,023

149.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$603 MYR 2,465

759.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.17

63.55%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Muar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Muar

$253 26.6% 79.5% $978

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Muar

$274 28.9% 33% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Muar

$97 10.2% 72.5% $256

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Muar

$126 13.3% 63.7% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Muar

$133 14% 3.2% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Muar

$47 4.9% 42.4% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Muar

$21 2.2% 63.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $445 in Muar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 8.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $29 in Muar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $274 per month, with Muar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Muar

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

02:14 2:14 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

314,776

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 27, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

MYR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Muar 15,830 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Muar

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 Muar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muar wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Muar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 8.6 times higher, 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $445 in Muar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $951 in Muar – a 174% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Muar runs roughly 74% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $951 in Muar versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Muar but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Muar 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.

Expats usually find Muar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.