Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kulim

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $891 in Kulim.

Austin, TX $2,607
Kulim $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $1,374 in Kulim.

Austin, TX $4,031
Kulim $1,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $1,857 in Kulim.

Austin, TX $5,454
Kulim $1,857

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 193% more expensive than in Kulim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Kulim is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$3.72 MYR 15.17

447.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$19.45 MYR 79.3

335.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$4.53 MYR 18.45

167.55%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.89 MYR 11.76

95.50%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.78 MYR 3.19

371.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.42 MYR 1.70

461.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.90 MYR 15.90

101.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$4.61 MYR 18.76

91.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.96 MYR 7.97

-41.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.23 MYR 5.00

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.30 MYR 5.29

154.62%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.23 MYR 9.07

86.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$12.68 MYR 51.7

2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$3.85 MYR 15.70

260.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$10.72 MYR 43.69

52.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.05 MYR 12.42

53.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.89 MYR 7.68

-23.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.55 MYR 10.37

100.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.44 MYR 5.88

213.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.19 MYR 4.83

158.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.36 MYR 5.54

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.08 MYR 4.41

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.53 MYR 2.15

318.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$4.47 MYR 18.22

123.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$21.05 MYR 85.8

-28.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.07 MYR 12.49

-5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.90 MYR 15.90

-14.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.75 MYR 3.06

62.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$12.64 MYR 51.5

220.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.04 MYR 4.23

167.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.56 MYR 2.28

194.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$8.26 MYR 33.64

328.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.74 MYR 3.00

28.38%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

-30.02%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

-13.41%

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

$223 $223

$45.19 MYR 184

393.47%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$8.70 MYR 35.44

572.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$25.83 MYR 105

175.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$36.10 MYR 147

46.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$7.37 MYR 30.04

127.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$4.46 MYR 18.16

215.25%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$268 MYR 1,091

445.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

200.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$62.2 MYR 253

-15.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$30.78 MYR 125

38.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$77.2 MYR 314

11.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$70.8 MYR 289

46.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$419 MYR 1,707

403.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$265 MYR 1,079

364.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$763 MYR 3,110

406.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$497 MYR 2,026

384.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$2,141 MYR 8,723

246.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,272 MYR 5,184

140.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.06

67.98%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 78.5% $966

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 36.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Kulim

$80 9% 77.4% $273

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 68% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 15.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 44.5% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 65.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $419 in Kulim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $19 in Kulim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $262 per month, with Kulim cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

21:17 9:17 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

319,056

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 = 0.899 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

MYR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kulim 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kulim

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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kulim 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 Kulim the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,911 in Austin, TX and $1,336 in Kulim 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $419 in Kulim. 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 $891 in Kulim – a 193% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kulim runs roughly 69% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kulim is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Kulim 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.