Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $877 in Kedah.

Austin, TX $2,607
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Austin, TX $4,031
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Austin, TX $5,454
Kedah $1,920

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 197% more expensive than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Kedah is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$3.72 MYR 15.19

447.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$12.32 MYR 50.4

587.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$4.56 MYR 18.65

165.79%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.91 MYR 11.90

94.16%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.77 MYR 3.15

377.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.39 MYR 1.60

505.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.24 MYR 17.31

85.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$4.36 MYR 17.80

102.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.88 MYR 7.68

-39.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.06 MYR 4.33

248.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.72 MYR 7.01

92.44%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.19 MYR 8.94

89.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$13.55 MYR 55.4

-4.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$4.34 MYR 17.75

219.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$8.84 MYR 36.13

84.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.94 MYR 12.02

59.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.63 MYR 6.67

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.75 MYR 11.24

85.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.45 MYR 5.94

211.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.10 MYR 4.50

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.09 MYR 4.45

118.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.13 MYR 4.63

59.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.57 MYR 2.34

289.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$4.62 MYR 18.89

115.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$18.76 MYR 76.7

-19.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.98 MYR 12.19

-2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$5.33 MYR 21.79

-37.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.76 MYR 3.11

60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$12.85 MYR 52.5

215.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.66 MYR 6.78

67.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.38 MYR 1.54

334.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$7.29 MYR 29.79

385.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.60 MYR 2.47

58.33%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$45.6K MYR 186.5K

-25.06%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$35.8K MYR 146.5K

-25.34%

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

$223 $223

$36.47 MYR 149

511.46%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$9.66 MYR 39.47

505.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$29.48 MYR 120

141.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$34.63 MYR 142

53.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$6.85 MYR 28.01

144.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$4.79 MYR 19.59

193.53%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$388 MYR 1,584

276.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

100.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$58.9 MYR 241

-10.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$34.76 MYR 142

22.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$81.6 MYR 334

5.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$70.7 MYR 289

46.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$358 MYR 1,462

490.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$258 MYR 1,054

376.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$712 MYR 2,911

442.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$607 MYR 2,479

296.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$1,930 MYR 7,889

284.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,258 MYR 5,140

143.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$1,339 MYR 5,473

286.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.04

68.81%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 79% $973

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 37.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 78.6% $277

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 67.6% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 13.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Kedah

$44 5% 45.5% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 65.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $12 in Kedah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

01:34 1:34 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

417,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

MYR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kedah 15,530 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kedah wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kedah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 3.9 times higher, 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $877 in Kedah – a 197% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kedah runs roughly 68% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $877 in Kedah versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah 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.

Expats usually find Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.