I did this several years ago for perl 5.6 . As in most cross-compilations, in the simple cases, you don't have to do anything because the gcc version of your tool chain should be already to default to the gcc used by your Makefile. Actually, compiling Perl was even simpler because the Perl distribution provided 'hint' files to set compilation defaults. I remember I had to compile in stages to overcome a difficulty with the blib package and deal with a few trial bumps. To directly answer you question; first, symlink your gcc to point to the correct gcc binary. If it does not work, play with the hint files that come with Perl. If it still does not work, then learn how to change your gcc flags to use the correct libraries, includes, and other cross-platform flags.