Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheras and Austin, TX

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.

55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
Learn more

Cheras Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cheras and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Cheras costs roughly 58% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.62

$20.77 $20.77

-82.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.28 MYR 99.1

$84.6 $84.6

-71.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.57

$12.32 $12.32

-61.04%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.55

$5.63 $5.63

-45.29%

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

$0.93 MYR 3.79

$3.72 $3.72

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 MYR 2.44

$2.50 $2.50

-76.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

$8.05 $8.05

-45.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.25 MYR 25.50

$9.01 $9.01

-30.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.88

$1.12 $1.12

72.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$3.75 $3.75

-72.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$3.26 $3.26

-55.83%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.23

$4.17 $4.17

-57.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 MYR 72.8

$12.90 $12.90

38.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.60

$14.16 $14.16

-67.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 MYR 44.09

$16.22 $16.22

-33.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 MYR 14.50

$4.33 $4.33

-18.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$1.46 $1.46

32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$4.51 $4.51

-41.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$4.34 $4.34

-61.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$2.58 $2.58

-19.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.72

$2.35 $2.35

-29.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.78 $1.78

-22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$2.22 $2.22

-77.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 MYR 17.30

$9.88 $9.88

-57.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 MYR 56.6

$15.08 $15.08

-7.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 MYR 11.30

$2.92 $2.92

-5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MYR 12.83

$3.46 $3.46

-8.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.49 $1.49

-53.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 49.08

$41.72 $41.72

-71.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 MYR 4.13

$2.73 $2.73

-63.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.66 $1.66

-78.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.96 MYR 36.57

$35.30 $35.30

-74.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$0.95 $0.95

-7.37%

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

$40.9K MYR 167.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

13.58%

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

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

25.58%

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

$49.67 MYR 203

$229 $229

-78.31%

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

$11.06 MYR 45.10

$59.4 $59.4

-81.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.31 MYR 111

$69.9 $69.9

-60.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 MYR 161

$57.2 $57.2

-31.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 MYR 29.13

$16.33 $16.33

-56.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 MYR 20.36

$14.28 $14.28

-65.06%

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

$164 MYR 667

$1,506 $1,506

-89.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,451 MYR 18.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-79.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 221

$52.8 $52.8

2.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.39 MYR 120

$43.82 $43.82

-32.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 MYR 332

$84.8 $84.8

-3.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 MYR 402

$103 $103

-4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 MYR 1,669

$1,907 $1,907

-78.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,906

$1,274 $1,274

-63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 MYR 2,803

$3,664 $3,664

-81.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 MYR 1,977

$2,538 $2,538

-80.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,052 MYR 8,372

$7,614 $7,614

-73.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 MYR 4,501

$3,157 $3,157

-65.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,189 MYR 4,851

$5,121 $5,121

-76.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

6.79

-40.21%

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

Last update for Cheras: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheras

$467 41.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 173% $807

Groceries & Markets

Cheras

$268 23.8%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 50.7% $136

Eating Out

Cheras

$120 10.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 194% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Cheras

$119 10.5%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 7.8% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheras

$88 7.8%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 307% $270

Sport & Entertainment

Cheras

$49 4.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 73.7% $36

Getting Around

Cheras

$18 1.6%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 233% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Cheras and $1,907 in Austin, TX. 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: $24.00 in Cheras vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $405 per month, with Cheras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Cheras

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

19:49 7:49 PM

13 h behind Cheras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

440,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cheras Austin, TX 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheras
Austin, TX

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

Cheras vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 331% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $409 in Cheras versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,130 per month in Cheras versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – 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, Cheras and Austin, TX 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.