Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Malang

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $474 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Malang
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Malang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $474 in Malang.

Austin, TX $2,663
Malang $474

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $729 in Malang.

Austin, TX $4,133
Malang $729

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $984 in Malang.

Austin, TX $5,603
Malang $984

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 462% more expensive than in Malang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Malang is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.11 Rp 19.9K

1771.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$11.07 Rp 198.6K

664.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$2.76 Rp 49.6K

346.38%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

320.15%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.60 Rp 10.7K

520.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.23 Rp 4,133

986.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.28 Rp 40.9K

253.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.25 Rp 76.3K

112.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

13.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.12 Rp 20.1K

234.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

288.10%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

236.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.89 Rp 105.7K

119.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.09 Rp 55.5K

358.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.20 Rp 129.3K

125.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.02 Rp 36.2K

114.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 Rp 22.7K

14.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.58 Rp 28.3K

185.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

203.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

98.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.92 Rp 34.4K

22.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.47 Rp 8,413

278.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.42 Rp 7,556

428.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.65 Rp 47.5K

272.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.47 Rp 223.8K

20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.67 Rp 30.0K

74.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.00 Rp 53.8K

15.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.60 Rp 10.7K

148.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$5.61 Rp 100.6K

643.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.48 Rp 8,603

468.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.40 Rp 7,221

315.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.45 Rp 97.8K

547.71%

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

$24.9K Rp 447.5M

44.53%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$27.7K Rp 497.2M

-2.30%

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

$229 $229

$30.83 Rp 553.3K

642.75%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$2.41 Rp 43.2K

2364.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$19.51 Rp 350.0K

258.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$14.68 Rp 263.5K

289.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$4.47 Rp 80.2K

265.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$1.92 Rp 34.4K

643.75%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$30.88 Rp 554.1K

4776.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,452 Rp 169.6M

126.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

-6.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$22.41 Rp 402.1K

95.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$51.9 Rp 931.9K

63.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$35.74 Rp 641.2K

188.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$136 Rp 2.4M

1299.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$91.5 Rp 1.6M

1291.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$193 Rp 3.5M

1796.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$156 Rp 2.8M

1522.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$203 Rp 3.6M

2418.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

69.75%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Malang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Malang

$92 19.3% 92.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Malang

$169 35.7% 58.1% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Malang

$53 11.1% 85.3% $306

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Malang

$56 11.9% 84.1% $297

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Malang

$75 15.8% 41.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Malang

$19 3.9% 78.4% $67

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Malang

$10 2.2% 82.1% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $136 in Malang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2419% 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 $11.00 in Malang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $169 per month, with Malang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇩 Malang

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

09:37 9:37 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

857,891

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.95 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 = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,204 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Malang 16,000 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Malang

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 Malang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malang wins on cost – living expenses run 462% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Malang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2419% 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 $136 in Malang. 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 $474 in Malang – a 462% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Malang runs roughly 644% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $474 in Malang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Malang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Malang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Malang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $474 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Malang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Malang 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 Malang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 462% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.