diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d82db4578..6b4ffa22d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@ if test "x$have_dlsym" = "xyes"; then
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL(CAIRO_HAS_DLSYM, test "x$have_dlsym" = "xyes")
 
+AC_CHECK_HEADERS(xlocale.h)
+AC_CHECK_FUNCS(newlocale strtod_l)
+
 dnl ===========================================================================
 
 CAIRO_ENABLE_SURFACE_BACKEND(xlib, Xlib, auto, [
diff --git a/src/cairo-misc.c b/src/cairo-misc.c
index 1ecbabf33..cf0d6d160 100644
--- a/src/cairo-misc.c
+++ b/src/cairo-misc.c
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <locale.h>
+#ifdef HAVE_XLOCALE_H
+#include <xlocale.h>
+#endif
 
 COMPILE_TIME_ASSERT ((int)CAIRO_STATUS_LAST_STATUS < (int)CAIRO_INT_STATUS_UNSUPPORTED);
 COMPILE_TIME_ASSERT (CAIRO_INT_STATUS_LAST_STATUS <= 127);
@@ -789,6 +793,38 @@ _cairo_get_locale_decimal_point (void)
 }
 #endif
 
+#if defined (HAVE_NEWLOCALE) && defined (HAVE_STRTOD_L)
+
+static locale_t C_locale;
+
+static locale_t
+get_C_locale (void)
+{
+    locale_t C;
+
+retry:
+    C = (locale_t) _cairo_atomic_ptr_get (&C_locale);
+
+    if (unlikely (!C)) {
+        C = newlocale (LC_ALL_MASK, "C", NULL);
+
+        if (!_cairo_atomic_ptr_cmpxchg (&C_locale, NULL, C)) {
+            freelocale (C_locale);
+            goto retry;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return C;
+}
+
+double
+_cairo_strtod (const char *nptr, char **endptr)
+{
+    return strtod_l (nptr, endptr, get_C_locale ());
+}
+
+#else
+
 /* strtod replacement that ignores locale and only accepts decimal points */
 double
 _cairo_strtod (const char *nptr, char **endptr)
@@ -844,6 +880,7 @@ _cairo_strtod (const char *nptr, char **endptr)
 
     return value;
 }
+#endif
 
 /**
  * _cairo_fopen: