Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $913 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Setia Alam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $913 in Setia Alam.

Austin, TX $2,663
Setia Alam $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,358 in Setia Alam.

Austin, TX $4,133
Setia Alam $1,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,803 in Setia Alam.

Austin, TX $5,603
Setia Alam $1,803

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 192% more expensive than in Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Setia Alam is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.81 MYR 19.61

331.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.57 MYR 100

244.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.96 MYR 20.22

148.39%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.76 MYR 11.27

103.99%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.79 MYR 3.23

370.89%

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

$4.32 MYR 17.63

86.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.01 MYR 24.50

49.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.49 MYR 6.09

-24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.72 MYR 2.92

420.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.59 MYR 2.42

452.54%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.20 MYR 4.91

247.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-6.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.41 MYR 9.83

487.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$2.41 MYR 9.83

573.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.24 MYR 5.04

249.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.25 MYR 5.11

260.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.20 MYR 4.91

261.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.71 MYR 2.89

263.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.74 MYR 3.03

217.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.70 MYR 2.87

154.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.72 MYR 2.95

208.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.32 MYR 17.64

128.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.60 MYR 80.0

-23.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.86 MYR 19.84

-28.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.76 MYR 3.08

96.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$12.31 MYR 50.2

238.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.24 MYR 5.06

120.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.20 MYR 4.88

38.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.78 MYR 19.49

638.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.48 MYR 1.95

97.92%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

-8.00%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

-18.02%

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

$229 $229

$61.2 MYR 250

274.35%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.52 MYR 34.77

597.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$26.04 MYR 106

168.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$49.73 MYR 203

15.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$6.97 MYR 28.44

134.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.10 MYR 20.82

180.00%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$135 MYR 551

1015.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

172.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$72.7 MYR 296

-27.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$27.31 MYR 111

60.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$53.8 MYR 220

57.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$36.56 MYR 149

181.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$529 MYR 2,160

260.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$323 MYR 1,319

294.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$873 MYR 3,562

319.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$549 MYR 2,238

362.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,992 MYR 8,128

282.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,102 MYR 4,498

186.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,143 MYR 4,663

347.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

69.75%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Setia Alam

$323 35.4% 74.6% $951

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Setia Alam

$200 21.9% 50.5% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Setia Alam

$96 10.5% 73.3% $263

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Setia Alam

$125 13.7% 64.6% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Setia Alam

$86 9.4% 33.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Setia Alam

$60 6.6% 30.1% $26

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 61.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $529 in Setia Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 348% 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 Setia Alam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $200 per month, with Setia Alam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

150,000

💱 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 Setia Alam 15,780 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setia Alam wins on cost – living expenses run 192% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Setia Alam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 348% 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 $529 in Setia Alam. 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 $913 in Setia Alam – a 192% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Setia Alam runs roughly 239% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $913 in Setia Alam versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setia Alam but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.