Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sungai Petani and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Sungai Petani: $806 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Sungai Petani
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Sungai Petani Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Sungai Petani

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$806

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sungai Petani 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 Sungai Petani and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $806 in Sungai Petani versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Sungai Petani $806
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,201 in Sungai Petani versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Sungai Petani $1,201
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,596 in Sungai Petani versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Sungai Petani $1,596
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Sungai Petani costs roughly 70% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sungai Petani is 40% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 MYR 9.93

$20.77 $20.77

-88.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.94 MYR 69.1

$84.6 $84.6

-79.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 MYR 17.46

$12.32 $12.32

-65.26%

Cappuccino

$2.50 MYR 10.20

$5.63 $5.63

-55.60%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$3.72 $3.72

-80.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.56

$2.50 $2.50

-84.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 MYR 14.99

$8.05 $8.05

-54.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.18

$9.01 $9.01

-50.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$1.12 $1.12

64.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$3.75 $3.75

-72.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.92

$3.26 $3.26

-47.85%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 9.00

$4.17 $4.17

-47.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 MYR 38.96

$12.90 $12.90

-25.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.04

$14.16 $14.16

-68.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.60 MYR 35.07

$16.22 $16.22

-46.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MYR 12.42

$4.33 $4.33

-29.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.66

$1.46 $1.46

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.68

$4.51 $4.51

-41.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.78

$4.34 $4.34

-67.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.34

$2.58 $2.58

-58.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.36

$2.35 $2.35

-54.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$1.78 $1.78

-39.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$2.22 $2.22

-74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MYR 17.54

$9.88 $9.88

-56.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.13 MYR 78.0

$15.08 $15.08

26.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.95

$2.92 $2.92

0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 MYR 21.78

$3.46 $3.46

54.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.04

$1.49 $1.49

-49.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.48 MYR 50.9

$41.72 $41.72

-70.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$2.73 $2.73

-38.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$1.66 $1.66

-75.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 30.13

$35.30 $35.30

-79.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.95 $0.95

-49.47%

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

$42.1K MYR 171.8K

$36.0K $36.0K

16.81%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$27.1K $27.1K

32.30%

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

$37.72 MYR 154

$229 $229

-83.53%

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

$9.73 MYR 39.71

$59.4 $59.4

-83.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.90 MYR 81.2

$69.9 $69.9

-71.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.69 MYR 101

$57.2 $57.2

-56.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.83 MYR 60.5

$16.33 $16.33

-9.19%

Cinema Ticket

$2.88 MYR 11.77

$14.28 $14.28

-79.83%

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

$418 MYR 1,704

$1,506 $1,506

-72.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

$21.5K $21.5K

-49.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 MYR 240

$52.8 $52.8

11.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.57 MYR 145

$43.82 $43.82

-18.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 MYR 302

$84.8 $84.8

-12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 MYR 284

$103 $103

-32.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 MYR 760

$1,907 $1,907

-90.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 MYR 995

$1,274 $1,274

-80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 MYR 2,015

$3,664 $3,664

-86.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,488

$2,538 $2,538

-85.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,236 MYR 5,042

$7,614 $7,614

-83.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$480 MYR 1,958

$3,157 $3,157

-84.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 MYR 2,008

$5,121 $5,121

-90.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

6.79

-40.50%

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

Last update for Sungai Petani: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sungai Petani

$244 30.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 422% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sungai Petani

$244 30.2%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 66% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Sungai Petani

$107 13.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 19.5% $21

Eating Out

Sungai Petani

$94 11.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 276% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sungai Petani

$67 8.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 432% $291

Sport & Entertainment

Sungai Petani

$30 3.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 182% $55

Getting Around

Sungai Petani

$19 2.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 206% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $186 in Sungai Petani and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 940% 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: $17.00 in Sungai Petani vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $405 per month, with Sungai Petani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sungai Petani

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

09:05 9:05 AM

13 h behind Sungai Petani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,053

974,447

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sungai Petani Austin, TX 15,570 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sungai Petani
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

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

Sungai Petani wins on cost – living expenses run 231% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sungai Petani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 940% 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: $186 in Sungai Petani 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 $806 per month in Sungai Petani versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 231% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sungai Petani runs roughly 234% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Sungai Petani versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sungai Petani but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sungai Petani 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, Sungai Petani 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 Sungai Petani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 231% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.