Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Batam

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $596 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Batam
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Batam Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $596 in Batam.

Austin, TX $2,704
Batam $596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,010 in Batam.

Austin, TX $4,133
Batam $1,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,424 in Batam.

Austin, TX $5,562
Batam $1,424

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 353% more expensive than in Batam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Batam is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

926.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$8.33 Rp 149.0K

920.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.01 Rp 71.7K

207.98%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.12 Rp 37.9K

158.02%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.65 Rp 11.6K

487.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.31 Rp 5,617

706.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.53 Rp 45.3K

218.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.66 Rp 65.5K

145.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.11 Rp 19.8K

240.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

301.23%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.24 Rp 22.1K

233.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.40 Rp 132.4K

76.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$2.40 Rp 43.0K

496.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$4.35 Rp 77.7K

266.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.25 Rp 40.3K

94.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

-26.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.02 Rp 36.2K

124.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

319.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.97 Rp 17.4K

171.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

22.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.32 Rp 23.6K

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.44 Rp 7,951

390.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

258.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$13.91 Rp 248.9K

5.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.70 Rp 30.4K

63.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.44 Rp 43.7K

42.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.37 Rp 6,667

302.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.15 Rp 20.5K

132.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.63 Rp 11.3K

150.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$3.55 Rp 63.4K

894.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

20.73%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.3K Rp 506.8M

26.38%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.4K Rp 436.2M

11.47%

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

$219 $219

$68.6 Rp 1.2M

219.54%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$4.08 Rp 72.9K

1321.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$23.00 Rp 411.5K

197.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$26.70 Rp 477.7K

116.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$5.69 Rp 101.8K

160.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

439.31%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$82.4 Rp 1.5M

1731.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,273 Rp 58.6M

555.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$31.39 Rp 561.6K

64.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$18.43 Rp 329.8K

139.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$65.2 Rp 1.2M

30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$24.41 Rp 436.7K

331.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$270 Rp 4.8M

615.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$148 Rp 2.7M

757.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$818 Rp 14.6M

348.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$496 Rp 8.9M

408.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$559 Rp 10.0M

1263.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$343 Rp 6.1M

1387.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.17

-48.44%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Batam: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Batam

$148 25% 88.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Batam

$173 29.1% 57.1% $230

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Batam

$77 13% 77.8% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Batam

$96 16.1% 72.3% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Batam

$63 10.6% 51.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Batam

$32 5.4% 62.9% $54

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Batam

$5.8 * 1% 89.8% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $270 in Batam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1388% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $8.00 in Batam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $173 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇩 Batam

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

09:47 9:47 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,196,396

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Batam 15,830 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Batam

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 Batam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batam wins on cost – living expenses run 353% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Batam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1388% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $270 in Batam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $82.4 in Batam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Batam – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $596 in Batam versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Batam but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Batam 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 Batam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 353% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.