Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Padang

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $620 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
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Padang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $620 in Padang.

Austin, TX $2,663
Padang $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $996 in Padang.

Austin, TX $4,133
Padang $996

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,372 in Padang.

Austin, TX $5,603
Padang $1,372

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 330% more expensive than in Padang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Padang is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

1166.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$15.72 Rp 283.0K

438.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$2.92 Rp 52.5K

321.92%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

290.97%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.41 Rp 7,394

807.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.22 Rp 3,925

1036.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

276.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.74 Rp 67.3K

140.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.04 Rp 18.7K

260.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

239.58%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

179.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.82 Rp 122.8K

89.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.88 Rp 51.8K

391.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

149.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

72.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

17.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.73 Rp 31.2K

160.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

124.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

27.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

122.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.40 Rp 7,241

455.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

263.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$21.21 Rp 381.7K

-28.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

68.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.28 Rp 59.1K

5.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 Rp 5,254

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.52 Rp 9,417

425.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.35 Rp 6,239

374.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.77 Rp 49.8K

1174.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$20.4K Rp 366.6M

76.99%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.7K Rp 588.6M

-17.21%

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

$229 $229

$67.6 Rp 1.2M

238.79%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.97 Rp 89.5K

1094.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.99 Rp 377.8K

233.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$19.55 Rp 351.9K

192.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.88 Rp 159.9K

83.90%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$2.60 Rp 46.7K

449.23%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$80.4 Rp 1.4M

1772.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,325 Rp 149.8M

157.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.73 Rp 769.2K

23.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$26.93 Rp 484.8K

62.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$63.8 Rp 1.1M

32.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$206 Rp 3.7M

824.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$154 Rp 2.8M

728.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$494 Rp 8.9M

641.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$391 Rp 7.0M

549.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,124 Rp 20.2M

577.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$706 Rp 12.7M

347.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$165 Rp 3.0M

3002.19%

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 Padang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Padang

$154 24.8% 87.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Padang

$192 31% 52.6% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Padang

$94 15.1% 73.9% $265

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Padang

$60 9.7% 83.1% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Padang

$93 14.9% 27.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Padang

$25 4% 71.2% $61

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Padang

$3.4 * 0.6% 94.2% $55

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $206 in Padang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 3002% 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 $16.00 in Padang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $192 per month, with Padang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇩 Padang

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,000,096

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Padang 16,230 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Padang

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 Padang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Padang wins on cost – living expenses run 330% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Padang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3002% 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 $206 in Padang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $80.4 in Padang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Padang – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $620 in Padang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Padang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Padang 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 Padang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 330% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.