Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cheras

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,130 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,130 in Cheras.

Austin, TX $2,663
Cheras $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,541 in Cheras.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cheras $1,541

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,952 in Cheras.

Austin, TX $5,603
Cheras $1,952

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 136% more expensive than in Cheras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Cheras is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.58 MYR 14.62

480.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.28 MYR 99.1

248.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.80 MYR 19.57

156.67%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.08 MYR 12.55

82.79%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.93 MYR 3.79

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.60 MYR 2.44

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.35 MYR 17.75

85.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.25 MYR 25.50

44.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.93 MYR 7.88

-41.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.02 MYR 4.18

267.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.44 MYR 5.89

126.39%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.77 MYR 7.23

135.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$17.85 MYR 72.8

-27.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.56 MYR 18.60

210.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.81 MYR 44.09

50.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.55 MYR 14.50

21.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.63 MYR 10.73

71.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.67 MYR 6.80

159.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.08 MYR 8.48

24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.65 MYR 6.72

42.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.38 MYR 5.63

28.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.51 MYR 2.07

335.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.24 MYR 17.30

133.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.88 MYR 56.6

8.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.77 MYR 11.30

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.15 MYR 12.83

9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.70 MYR 2.87

112.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$12.03 MYR 49.08

246.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.01 MYR 4.13

170.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.35 MYR 1.44

374.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.96 MYR 36.57

293.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.88 MYR 3.58

7.95%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$40.9K MYR 167.0K

-11.96%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-20.37%

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

$229 $229

$49.67 MYR 203

361.02%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$11.06 MYR 45.10

436.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$27.31 MYR 111

155.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$39.42 MYR 161

45.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.14 MYR 29.13

128.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.99 MYR 20.36

186.17%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$164 MYR 667

820.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,451 MYR 18.2K

382.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$54.3 MYR 221

-2.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$29.39 MYR 120

49.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$81.5 MYR 332

4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$98.6 MYR 402

4.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$409 MYR 1,669

366.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$467 MYR 1,906

172.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$687 MYR 2,803

433.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$485 MYR 1,977

423.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,052 MYR 8,372

270.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,103 MYR 4,501

186.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,189 MYR 4,851

330.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.06

67.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cheras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Cheras

$467 41.4% 63.3% $807

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Cheras

$268 23.8% 33.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Cheras

$88 7.8% 75.4% $270

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Cheras

$120 10.7% 66% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Cheras

$119 10.5% 7.3% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Cheras

$49 4.4% 42.4% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Cheras

$18 1.6% 70% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $409 in Cheras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 331% 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 $24.00 in Cheras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $268 per month, with Cheras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Cheras

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

13:47 1:47 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

440,000

💱 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 Cheras 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cheras

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 Cheras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheras wins on cost – living expenses run 136% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cheras the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 331% 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 $409 in Cheras. 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 $1,130 in Cheras – a 136% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cheras runs roughly 247% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,130 in Cheras versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cheras but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cheras 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 Cheras 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 Cheras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.