Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Surakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $509 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
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Surakarta Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $509 in Surakarta.

Austin, TX $2,663
Surakarta $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $817 in Surakarta.

Austin, TX $4,133
Surakarta $817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,124 in Surakarta.

Austin, TX $5,603
Surakarta $1,124

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 423% more expensive than in Surakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Surakarta is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

1174.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$11.59 Rp 208.7K

629.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$3.20 Rp 57.6K

285.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.55 Rp 27.9K

263.23%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.54 Rp 9,772

588.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 Rp 4,534

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

470.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.76 Rp 49.6K

226.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

413.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

323.38%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

334.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.62 Rp 137.2K

69.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$1.71 Rp 30.7K

728.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$5.40 Rp 97.3K

200.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.01 Rp 36.3K

115.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

14.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

149.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

216.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

88.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

39.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

206.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 Rp 7,732

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

401.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.44 Rp 151.9K

78.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.90 Rp 52.3K

19.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.40 Rp 7,244

272.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.88 Rp 393.8K

90.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.50 Rp 9,071

446.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.43 Rp 7,709

286.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.69 Rp 48.3K

1212.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

25.00%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.5K Rp 440.7M

47.25%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.3K Rp 582.1M

-16.28%

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

$229 $229

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

195.36%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$2.10 Rp 37.8K

2728.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$18.23 Rp 328.2K

283.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$15.74 Rp 283.3K

263.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

94.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

639.90%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$33.42 Rp 601.5K

4405.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,845 Rp 33.2M

1062.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$59.1 Rp 1.1M

-10.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.67 Rp 642.0K

22.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$70.2 Rp 1.3M

20.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$168 Rp 3.0M

1038.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$56.6 Rp 1.0M

2152.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$338 Rp 6.1M

985.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$192 Rp 3.5M

1222.70%

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

$158 Rp 2.8M

3143.05%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Surakarta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Surakarta

$57 11.1% 95.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Surakarta

$148 29.2% 63.3% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Surakarta

$98 19.2% 72.7% $260

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Surakarta

$57 11.2% 83.9% $297

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Surakarta

$103 20.3% 19.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Surakarta

$20 3.9% 77.2% $66

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Surakarta

$26 5.1% 55.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $168 in Surakarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 3143% 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 $12.00 in Surakarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $148 per month, with Surakarta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

08:07 8:07 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

503,421

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Surakarta 16,110 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Surakarta

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 Surakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surakarta wins on cost – living expenses run 423% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Surakarta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3143% 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 $168 in Surakarta. 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 $509 in Surakarta – a 423% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surakarta runs roughly 91% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $509 in Surakarta versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surakarta but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Surakarta 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 Surakarta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 423% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.