Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Labuan and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $1,020 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
Learn more

Labuan Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Labuan and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Labuan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Labuan $1,020
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Labuan versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Labuan $1,487
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,953 in Labuan versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Labuan $1,953
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Labuan costs roughly 62% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Labuan is 24% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 MYR 22.53

$20.77 $20.77

-73.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$84.6 $84.6

-71.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 MYR 27.19

$12.32 $12.32

-45.94%

Cappuccino

$3.93 MYR 16.05

$5.63 $5.63

-30.20%

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

$1.06 MYR 4.34

$3.72 $3.72

-71.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$2.50 $2.50

-82.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$8.05 $8.05

-53.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$9.01 $9.01

-49.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.43

$1.12 $1.12

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$3.75 $3.75

-72.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.07

$3.26 $3.26

-54.29%

Eggs

$2.10 MYR 8.58

$4.17 $4.17

-49.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 MYR 68.6

$12.90 $12.90

30.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$14.16 $14.16

-68.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 MYR 38.76

$16.22 $16.22

-41.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.95

$4.33 $4.33

-26.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.46

$1.46 $1.46

25.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$4.51 $4.51

-47.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$4.34 $4.34

-59.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$2.58 $2.58

-46.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$2.35 $2.35

-56.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$1.78 $1.78

-33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.20

$2.22 $2.22

-75.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$9.88 $9.88

-48.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 MYR 66.5

$15.08 $15.08

8.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 MYR 13.11

$2.92 $2.92

9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.90

$3.46 $3.46

26.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$1.49 $1.49

-47.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.66 MYR 43.48

$41.72 $41.72

-74.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 MYR 5.47

$2.73 $2.73

-50.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$1.66 $1.66

-71.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MYR 26.43

$35.30 $35.30

-81.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$0.95 $0.95

-7.37%

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

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

$36.0K $36.0K

22.06%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

20.15%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$229 $229

-78.65%

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

$9.68 MYR 39.49

$59.4 $59.4

-83.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.69 MYR 113

$69.9 $69.9

-60.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.60 MYR 170

$57.2 $57.2

-27.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.68 MYR 31.32

$16.33 $16.33

-52.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 MYR 17.51

$14.28 $14.28

-69.96%

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

$208 MYR 849

$1,506 $1,506

-86.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

-67.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MYR 228

$52.8 $52.8

5.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.07 MYR 123

$43.82 $43.82

-31.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 355

$84.8 $84.8

2.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 MYR 334

$103 $103

-20.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,768

$1,907 $1,907

-77.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 MYR 1,397

$1,274 $1,274

-73.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,614

$3,664 $3,664

-82.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MYR 1,892

$2,538 $2,538

-81.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,282 MYR 9,308

$7,614 $7,614

-70.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 MYR 4,636

$3,157 $3,157

-64.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$374 MYR 1,525

$5,121 $5,121

-92.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

6.79

-40.21%

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

Last update for Labuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Labuan

$342 33.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 272% $932

Groceries & Markets

Labuan

$264 25.9%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 53.2% $140

Eating Out

Labuan

$145 14.2%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 144% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Labuan

$115 11.2%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 11.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Labuan

$86 8.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 315% $272

Sport & Entertainment

Labuan

$50 4.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 70.9% $36

Getting Around

Labuan

$18 1.7%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 235% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $433 in Labuan and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1270% 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: $24.00 in Labuan vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $405 per month, with Labuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Labuan

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

13 h behind Labuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,120

974,447

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Labuan Austin, TX 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Labuan
Austin, TX

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

Labuan vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Labuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1270% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $433 in Labuan versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,020 per month in Labuan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Labuan runs roughly 291% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,020 in Labuan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Labuan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Labuan 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, Labuan and Austin, TX 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 Labuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.