Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kangar, Perlis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kangar, Perlis: $956 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Kangar, Perlis
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Kangar, Perlis Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Kangar, Perlis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $956 in Kangar, Perlis.

Austin, TX $2,663
Kangar, Perlis $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,408 in Kangar, Perlis.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kangar, Perlis $1,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,861 in Kangar, Perlis.

Austin, TX $5,603
Kangar, Perlis $1,861

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 179% more expensive than in Kangar, Perlis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Kangar, Perlis is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.57 MYR 14.55

481.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$21.50 MYR 87.7

293.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.40 MYR 17.97

180.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.86 MYR 11.68

96.85%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.77 MYR 3.13

383.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.38 MYR 1.56

557.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.79 MYR 15.48

112.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.97 MYR 20.27

81.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.05 MYR 4.29

257.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.66 MYR 6.78

96.39%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.01 MYR 8.21

107.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.31 MYR 54.3

-3.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.47 MYR 18.24

216.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.54 MYR 38.93

70.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.43 MYR 14.01

26.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.82 MYR 7.41

-19.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.54 MYR 10.37

77.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.80 MYR 7.36

141.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.13 MYR 4.61

128.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.03 MYR 4.20

128.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.03 MYR 4.19

72.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.58 MYR 2.36

282.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.92 MYR 20.09

100.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$20.09 MYR 82.0

-24.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.60 MYR 10.62

12.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.90 MYR 15.91

-11.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.82 MYR 3.36

81.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$12.92 MYR 52.7

222.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.21 MYR 4.94

125.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.52 MYR 2.10

219.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.58 MYR 30.91

365.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.77 MYR 3.12

23.38%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$45.6K MYR 186.2K

-21.02%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.4K MYR 136.1K

-18.84%

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

$229 $229

$44.60 MYR 182

413.43%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$9.52 MYR 38.84

523.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$24.94 MYR 102

180.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.59 MYR 149

56.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.71 MYR 31.45

111.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.37 MYR 17.83

226.77%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$211 MYR 861

613.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,606 MYR 26.9K

224.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$50.9 MYR 208

3.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$38.96 MYR 159

12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$84.0 MYR 342

0.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.3 MYR 295

42.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$348 MYR 1,422

447.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$333 MYR 1,357

282.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$749 MYR 3,057

389.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$493 MYR 2,012

414.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,142 MYR 8,738

255.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,088 MYR 4,437

190.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

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 Kangar, Perlis: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Kangar, Perlis

$333 34.8% 73.9% $941

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Kangar, Perlis

$258 27% 36.1% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Kangar, Perlis

$79 8.3% 77.9% $279

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Kangar, Perlis

$110 11.5% 69% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Kangar, Perlis

$111 11.6% 13.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kangar, Perlis

$45 4.7% 47.2% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Kangar, Perlis

$20 2.1% 65.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $348 in Kangar, Perlis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Kangar, Perlis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $258 per month, with Kangar, Perlis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Kangar, Perlis

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

08:50 8:50 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

284,853

💱 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 →

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Austin, TX Kangar, Perlis 15,510 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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Austin, TX
Kangar, Perlis

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 Kangar, Perlis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kangar, Perlis wins on cost – living expenses run 179% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kangar, Perlis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,434 in Kangar, Perlis 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $348 in Kangar, Perlis. 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 $956 in Kangar, Perlis – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kangar, Perlis runs roughly 223% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $956 in Kangar, Perlis versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kangar, Perlis but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kangar, Perlis 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 Kangar, Perlis 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 Kangar, Perlis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.