Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $688 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $688 in Surabaya.

Austin, TX $2,704
Surabaya $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,191 in Surabaya.

Austin, TX $4,133
Surabaya $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,695 in Surabaya.

Austin, TX $5,562
Surabaya $1,695

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 293% more expensive than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Surabaya is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$1.69 Rp 30.3K

1096.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$11.40 Rp 204.0K

645.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

304.92%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

248.41%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

526.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.28 Rp 5,030

792.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

256.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.09 Rp 73.2K

119.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

-7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

197.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

286.90%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

245.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.66 Rp 137.1K

70.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.08 Rp 55.1K

364.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$7.85 Rp 140.4K

103.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.09 Rp 37.5K

109.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

149.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

168.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

102.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

23.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.43 Rp 7,686

402.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

405.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$24.67 Rp 441.4K

-40.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.32 Rp 5,674

365.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.48 Rp 8,526

456.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.43 Rp 7,686

267.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$2.61 Rp 46.8K

1252.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

19.28%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$25.0K Rp 446.4M

43.49%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$32.8K Rp 586.0M

-17.04%

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

$219 $219

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

154.49%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$4.58 Rp 82.0K

1166.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$19.24 Rp 344.2K

255.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$17.96 Rp 321.3K

222.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$6.82 Rp 122.0K

117.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

419.49%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$280 Rp 5.0M

438.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,557 Rp 171.0M

124.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

-26.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$39.31 Rp 703.2K

12.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

43.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$279 Rp 5.0M

592.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$147 Rp 2.6M

766.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

194.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$620 Rp 11.1M

307.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,155 Rp 38.6M

253.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

205.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$273 Rp 4.9M

1768.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.5

-9.47%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Surabaya

$147 21.7% 88.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Surabaya

$209 30.9% 48.1% $194

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Surabaya

$65 9.5% 81.4% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Surabaya

$110 16.3% 68.2% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Surabaya

$119 17.6% 7.7% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Surabaya

$23 3.5% 72.8% $63

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 93.2% $53

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 $279 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1769% 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 Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $209 per month, with Surabaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,765,487

💱 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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Between locations

Austin, TX Surabaya 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Surabaya

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 Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya wins on cost – living expenses run 293% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Surabaya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1769% 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 $279 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $280 in Surabaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surabaya – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Surabaya versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surabaya but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Surabaya 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 Surabaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 293% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.