Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Skudai

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $900 in Skudai.

Austin, TX $2,607
Skudai $900

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $1,370 in Skudai.

Austin, TX $4,031
Skudai $1,370

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $1,840 in Skudai.

Austin, TX $5,454
Skudai $1,840

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 190% more expensive than in Skudai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Skudai is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$3.63 MYR 14.84

460.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$18.25 MYR 74.6

364.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$4.90 MYR 20.05

147.35%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.87 MYR 11.73

96.86%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.83 MYR 3.40

343.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.45 MYR 1.83

424.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.33 MYR 13.62

136.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$5.62 MYR 22.97

56.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.02 MYR 4.18

261.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.48 MYR 6.06

123.65%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$1.66 MYR 6.78

150.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$9.64 MYR 39.43

34.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$3.20 MYR 13.09

333.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$9.61 MYR 39.28

70.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.42 MYR 13.98

37.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-14.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.61 MYR 10.68

95.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.64 MYR 6.69

175.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.41 MYR 5.75

118.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.73 MYR 7.08

37.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.37 MYR 5.59

31.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.51 MYR 2.09

335.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$4.28 MYR 17.49

132.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$13.83 MYR 56.5

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.74 MYR 11.19

6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.99 MYR 12.22

11.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.83 MYR 3.40

46.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$10.95 MYR 44.78

270.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.01 MYR 4.13

175.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.36 MYR 1.46

358.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$9.03 MYR 36.92

291.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.86 MYR 3.51

10.47%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$44.3K MYR 181.0K

-22.75%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$36.0K MYR 147.2K

-25.67%

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

$223 $223

$48.79 MYR 199

357.06%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$8.16 MYR 33.38

616.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$26.88 MYR 110

164.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$36.95 MYR 151

43.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$7.55 MYR 30.86

121.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$4.93 MYR 20.17

185.19%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$235 MYR 962

520.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$4,393 MYR 18.0K

385.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$50.5 MYR 206

3.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$16.62 MYR 68.0

157.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$77.2 MYR 316

11.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$85.4 MYR 349

21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$357 MYR 1,461

490.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$311 MYR 1,270

296.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$650 MYR 2,659

493.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$565 MYR 2,310

325.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$1,956 MYR 7,997

279.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,161 MYR 4,746

163.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.06

67.98%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Skudai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Skudai

$311 34.5% 74.7% $920

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Skudai

$226 25.2% 44.7% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Skudai

$84 9.3% 76.2% $269

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Skudai

$111 12.4% 68.1% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Skudai

$103 11.5% 19.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Skudai

$47 5.2% 42.3% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Skudai

$17 1.9% 69.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $357 in Skudai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $18 in Skudai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $226 per month, with Skudai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Skudai

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

02:15 2:15 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

159,733

💱 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 Skudai 15,810 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Skudai

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 Skudai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skudai wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Skudai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,911 in Austin, TX and $1,349 in Skudai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $357 in Skudai. 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 $900 in Skudai – a 190% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Skudai runs roughly 73% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $900 in Skudai versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Skudai but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Skudai 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 Skudai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.