Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palembang and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $615 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$615

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Palembang and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $615 in Palembang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Palembang $615
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $980 in Palembang versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Palembang $980
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,344 in Palembang versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Palembang $1,344
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Palembang costs roughly 77% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.14 Rp 20.4K

$20.77 $20.77

-94.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.00 Rp 287.9K

$84.6 $84.6

-81.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 Rp 50.8K

$12.32 $12.32

-77.11%

Cappuccino

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

$5.63 $5.63

-77.09%

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

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$3.72 $3.72

-77.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,503

$2.50 $2.50

-90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$8.05 $8.05

-78.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 Rp 58.9K

$9.01 $9.01

-63.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Rp 20.1K

$1.12 $1.12

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$3.75 $3.75

-69.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$3.26 $3.26

-74.85%

Eggs

$1.22 Rp 22.0K

$4.17 $4.17

-70.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.24 Rp 130.4K

$12.90 $12.90

-43.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

$14.16 $14.16

-78.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 Rp 133.9K

$16.22 $16.22

-54.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$4.33 $4.33

-48.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.46 $1.46

-23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

$4.51 $4.51

-67.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$4.34 $4.34

-68.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$2.58 $2.58

-54.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.0K

$2.35 $2.35

-17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 Rp 11.7K

$1.78 $1.78

-63.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,856

$2.22 $2.22

-80.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$9.88 $9.88

-77.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.49 Rp 386.7K

$15.08 $15.08

42.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$2.92 $2.92

-35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 Rp 52.9K

$3.46 $3.46

-15.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 Rp 7,878

$1.49 $1.49

-70.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,526

$2.73 $2.73

-80.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 Rp 7,284

$1.66 $1.66

-75.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 Rp 51.2K

$35.30 $35.30

-91.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$0.95 $0.95

-13.68%

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

$23.2K Rp 417.8M

$36.0K $36.0K

-35.62%

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

$31.6K Rp 568.7M

$27.1K $27.1K

16.70%

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

$71.6 Rp 1.3M

$229 $229

-68.75%

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

$4.39 Rp 79.0K

$59.4 $59.4

-92.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.20 Rp 345.5K

$69.9 $69.9

-72.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.72 Rp 355.0K

$57.2 $57.2

-65.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.99 Rp 143.8K

$16.33 $16.33

-51.07%

Cinema Ticket

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

$14.28 $14.28

-80.04%

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

$90.1 Rp 1.6M

$1,506 $1,506

-94.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,423 Rp 151.6M

$21.5K $21.5K

-60.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.78 Rp 770.0K

$52.8 $52.8

-18.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 Rp 517.8K

$43.82 $43.82

-34.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 Rp 1.3M

$84.8 $84.8

-12.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 Rp 1.2M

$103 $103

-32.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 Rp 4.1M

$1,907 $1,907

-87.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.6M

$1,274 $1,274

-88.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 Rp 9.6M

$3,664 $3,664

-85.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$2,538 $2,538

-85.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,254 Rp 22.6M

$7,614 $7,614

-83.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$886 Rp 15.9M

$3,157 $3,157

-71.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$309 Rp 5.6M

$5,121 $5,121

-93.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

6.79

39.32%

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

Last update for Palembang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palembang

$194 31.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 109% $211

Accommodation & Living

Palembang

$147 23.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 766% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Palembang

$97 15.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 32% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palembang

$95 15.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 277% $263

Eating Out

Palembang

$52 8.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 576% $302

Sport & Entertainment

Palembang

$25 4.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 237% $60

Getting Around

Palembang

$4.3 * 0.7%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 1265% $54

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 $230 in Palembang and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1557% 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: $16.00 in Palembang vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $405 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Palembang

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

07:35 7:35 AM

12 h behind Palembang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,708,413

974,447

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palembang Austin, TX 16,170 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Palembang
Austin, TX

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

Palembang vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palembang wins on cost – living expenses run 333% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Palembang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1557% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $230 in Palembang versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.1 in Palembang versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Palembang – 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 $615 in Palembang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palembang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Palembang 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 Palembang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 333% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.