Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Semenyih

For one person, living is cheaper in Semenyih: $958 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Semenyih
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Semenyih Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Semenyih

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $958 in Semenyih.

Austin, TX $2,698
Semenyih $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,428 in Semenyih.

Austin, TX $4,160
Semenyih $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,899 in Semenyih.

Austin, TX $5,622
Semenyih $1,899

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 182% more expensive than in Semenyih, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Semenyih is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$3.71 MYR 15.14

456.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$18.05 MYR 73.6

368.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.05 MYR 20.59

139.01%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.90 MYR 11.83

88.97%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.64 MYR 2.61

493.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.59 MYR 2.42

318.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.29 MYR 17.49

87.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$6.07 MYR 24.78

46.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-34.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.00 MYR 4.09

272.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.43 MYR 5.85

135.66%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.72 MYR 7.02

151.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$18.23 MYR 74.4

-27.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$4.66 MYR 19.00

203.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.49 MYR 42.80

55.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.24 MYR 13.23

40.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.70 MYR 6.92

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.82 MYR 15.60

23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.62 MYR 6.62

156.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.43 MYR 5.83

80.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.68 MYR 6.84

39.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.38 MYR 5.62

28.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.51 MYR 2.07

319.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.24 MYR 17.30

138.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.80 MYR 56.3

10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.87 MYR 11.71

-1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.12 MYR 12.73

10.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.75 MYR 3.05

105.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$12.19 MYR 49.73

236.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.94 MYR 3.82

197.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.71 MYR 2.89

125.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$9.73 MYR 39.70

252.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.52 MYR 2.13

80.77%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$42.0K MYR 171.4K

-19.14%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$35.2K MYR 143.8K

-24.06%

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

$223 $223

$53.1 MYR 217

319.30%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$11.18 MYR 45.59

426.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$28.15 MYR 115

150.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$40.45 MYR 165

42.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$7.15 MYR 29.18

131.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.04 MYR 20.54

182.94%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$161 MYR 657

837.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$4,497 MYR 18.3K

364.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$53.9 MYR 220

-4.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$16.40 MYR 66.9

169.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$80.2 MYR 327

8.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$99.2 MYR 405

5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$401 MYR 1,635

384.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$299 MYR 1,219

340.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$689 MYR 2,813

431.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$476 MYR 1,940

439.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,017 MYR 8,228

264.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,075 MYR 4,386

191.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$668 MYR 2,724

691.82%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Semenyih: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Semenyih

$299 31.2% 77.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Semenyih

$266 27.8% 34.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Semenyih

$92 9.7% 73.8% $260

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Semenyih

$118 12.3% 66.3% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Semenyih

$112 11.7% 13% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Semenyih

$51 5.3% 41.4% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Semenyih

$20 2.1% 66.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $401 in Semenyih. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 692% 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 $18.00 in Semenyih for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $266 per month, with Semenyih cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Semenyih

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

45,000

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

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Austin, TX Semenyih 15,780 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Semenyih

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 Semenyih: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Semenyih wins on cost – living expenses run 182% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Semenyih the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 692% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $401 in Semenyih. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $958 in Semenyih – a 182% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Semenyih 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 $958 in Semenyih versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Semenyih but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Semenyih 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 Semenyih 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 Semenyih gentler on the wallet – expenses run 182% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.