Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $641 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
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Makassar Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $641 in Makassar.

Austin, TX $2,663
Makassar $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $985 in Makassar.

Austin, TX $4,133
Makassar $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,328 in Makassar.

Austin, TX $5,603
Makassar $1,328

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 316% more expensive than in Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Makassar is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

1107.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$8.88 Rp 159.8K

852.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

291.11%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

193.23%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.50 Rp 9,030

644.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.36 Rp 6,497

594.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

223.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.30 Rp 59.4K

173.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

282.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

425.81%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

178.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.29 Rp 113.3K

105.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.44 Rp 61.9K

311.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$5.24 Rp 94.3K

209.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

84.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

7.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

137.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.86 Rp 33.4K

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

106.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

49.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

143.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.42 Rp 7,526

428.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.63 Rp 47.4K

275.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$22.11 Rp 398.0K

-31.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.81 Rp 32.7K

61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.00 Rp 54.0K

15.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.27 Rp 4,854

451.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$4.30 Rp 77.5K

870.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.49 Rp 8,781

457.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.35 Rp 6,271

374.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

1227.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

28.38%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$23.9K Rp 430.8M

50.62%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$30.9K Rp 557.0M

-12.50%

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

$229 $229

$89.0 Rp 1.6M

157.41%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$2.71 Rp 48.7K

2091.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$24.90 Rp 448.1K

180.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$21.47 Rp 386.5K

166.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.40 Rp 151.1K

94.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

325.00%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$93.5 Rp 1.7M

1511.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,746 Rp 67.4M

472.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$26.95 Rp 485.2K

95.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$23.52 Rp 423.3K

86.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

12.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$40.00 Rp 720.0K

157.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$232 Rp 4.2M

721.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$148 Rp 2.7M

760.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$546 Rp 9.8M

570.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$360 Rp 6.5M

605.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,159 Rp 20.9M

556.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$803 Rp 14.5M

293.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$214 Rp 3.8M

2295.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.46

-28.22%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Makassar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Makassar

$148 23.1% 88.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Makassar

$197 30.7% 51.3% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Makassar

$117 18.2% 67.5% $242

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Makassar

$69 10.7% 80.6% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Makassar

$75 11.6% 41.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 67.1% $58

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Makassar

$7.6 1.2% 87% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $232 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2295% 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 $9.00 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $197 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

02:58 2:58 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,427,619

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Makassar 15,230 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 316% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2295% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $232 in Makassar. 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 $641 in Makassar – a 316% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 870% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $641 in Makassar versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Makassar 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 Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 316% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.