Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $978 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
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Serdang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $978 in Serdang.

Austin, TX $2,663
Serdang $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,422 in Serdang.

Austin, TX $4,133
Serdang $1,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,865 in Serdang.

Austin, TX $5,603
Serdang $1,865

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 172% more expensive than in Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Serdang is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.52 MYR 10.29

724.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$17.01 MYR 69.4

397.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$3.58 MYR 14.62

244.13%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.01 MYR 8.20

180.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.84 MYR 3.44

342.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.47 MYR 1.93

431.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.43 MYR 18.06

81.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.02 MYR 24.56

49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.13 MYR 8.68

-47.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.10 MYR 4.51

240.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.95 MYR 7.95

67.18%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.49 MYR 10.14

67.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.89 MYR 56.7

-7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.47 MYR 18.24

216.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.92 MYR 40.47

63.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.44 MYR 14.02

25.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-17.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.27 MYR 9.26

98.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.60 MYR 6.52

171.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.27 MYR 5.19

103.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.35 MYR 5.51

74.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 MYR 4.57

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.72 MYR 2.93

208.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.53 MYR 18.47

118.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.72 MYR 80.4

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-16.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.91 MYR 20.01

-29.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.69 MYR 2.82

115.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$13.93 MYR 56.8

199.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.19 MYR 4.85

129.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.25 MYR 5.09

32.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.96 MYR 20.23

611.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.88 MYR 3.61

7.95%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$41.5K MYR 169.4K

-13.20%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.4K MYR 140.2K

-21.25%

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

$229 $229

$61.8 MYR 252

270.35%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.90 MYR 36.30

567.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$26.69 MYR 109

161.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.43 MYR 173

34.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.33 MYR 29.89

122.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.12 MYR 20.88

178.91%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$298 MYR 1,215

405.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$13.0K MYR 53.1K

64.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.1 MYR 290

-25.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$41.18 MYR 168

6.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$85.3 MYR 348

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$97.3 MYR 397

5.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$394 MYR 1,607

384.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$302 MYR 1,231

322.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$685 MYR 2,794

435.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$430 MYR 1,753

490.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,783 MYR 7,272

327.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,004 MYR 4,096

214.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$964 MYR 3,932

431.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.18

62.44%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Serdang

$302 30.9% 76.3% $972

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Serdang

$275 28.1% 32% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Serdang

$97 10% 72.8% $261

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Serdang

$94 9.7% 73.3% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Serdang

$133 13.6% 3.7% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Serdang

$53 5.4% 38.6% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Serdang

$24 2.5% 58.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $394 in Serdang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 431% 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 $17.00 in Serdang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $275 per month, with Serdang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

07:20 7:20 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

130,252

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Serdang 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Serdang

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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serdang wins on cost – living expenses run 172% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Serdang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 431% 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 $394 in Serdang. 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 $978 in Serdang – a 172% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Serdang runs roughly 199% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $978 in Serdang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Serdang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Serdang 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 Serdang 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 Serdang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.