Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kemaman

For one person, living is cheaper in Kemaman: $877 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
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Kemaman Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $877 in Kemaman.

Austin, TX $2,663
Kemaman $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,352 in Kemaman.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kemaman $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,827 in Kemaman.

Austin, TX $5,603
Kemaman $1,827

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 204% more expensive than in Kemaman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Kemaman is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.62 MYR 10.70

692.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$14.65 MYR 59.8

477.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.38 MYR 17.89

181.28%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.01 MYR 12.29

87.04%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.51 MYR 2.08

629.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.35 MYR 1.44

614.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.21 MYR 13.10

150.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.79 MYR 23.61

55.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-40.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.01 MYR 4.14

271.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.96 MYR 3.92

239.58%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.14 MYR 4.64

265.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.82 MYR 40.04

31.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.28 MYR 13.39

331.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.63 MYR 39.27

68.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.53 MYR 14.41

22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-22.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.66 MYR 10.86

69.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.73 MYR 7.05

150.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.15 MYR 8.78

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.02 MYR 8.23

16.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.43 MYR 5.82

24.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.48 MYR 1.95

362.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.66 MYR 18.99

112.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$19.79 MYR 80.8

-23.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.72 MYR 11.08

7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-24.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.73 MYR 2.98

104.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$12.09 MYR 49.32

245.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.23 MYR 5.02

121.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.38 MYR 1.56

336.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.88 MYR 36.22

297.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.52 MYR 2.14

82.69%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$42.1K MYR 171.6K

-14.32%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.9K MYR 134.4K

-17.83%

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

$229 $229

$48.98 MYR 200

367.52%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.30 MYR 33.87

615.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$27.03 MYR 110

158.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.79 MYR 170

36.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.05 MYR 28.75

131.63%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.87 MYR 19.88

193.22%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$124 MYR 507

1112.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.4K MYR 42.5K

105.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$51.5 MYR 210

2.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$30.07 MYR 123

45.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$76.7 MYR 313

10.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$85.5 MYR 349

20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$450 MYR 1,837

323.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$267 MYR 1,090

376.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$772 MYR 3,148

374.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$532 MYR 2,169

377.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,748 MYR 7,129

335.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,220 MYR 4,978

158.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.51

50.55%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kemaman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Kemaman

$267 30.5% 79% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Kemaman

$245 27.9% 39.5% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Kemaman

$84 9.6% 76.5% $274

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Kemaman

$101 11.6% 71.4% $253

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Kemaman

$110 12.5% 14.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kemaman

$52 5.9% 39.9% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Kemaman

$18 2.1% 69.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $450 in Kemaman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $15.00 in Kemaman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $245 per month, with Kemaman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

215,582

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Kemaman 15,570 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kemaman

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 Kemaman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kemaman wins on cost – living expenses run 204% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kemaman the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,315 in Kemaman 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 $450 in Kemaman. 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 $877 in Kemaman – a 204% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kemaman runs roughly 245% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $877 in Kemaman versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kemaman but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kemaman 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 Kemaman 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 Kemaman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.