Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $1,229 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,229

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali 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 Bali and in Surabaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Bali vs $674 in Surabaya, rent included.

Bali $1,229
Surabaya $674

A couple spends around $2,053 per month in Bali vs $1,173 in Surabaya, rent included.

Bali $2,053
Surabaya $1,173

A family of three spends $2,877 per month in Bali vs $1,672 in Surabaya, rent included.

Bali $2,877
Surabaya $1,672

Bali costs about 82% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Surabaya are more affordable than the global median – Bali 9% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

68.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.09 Rp 523.7K

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

158.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 Rp 83.9K

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

48.41%

Cappuccino

$2.31 Rp 41.5K

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

48.08%

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

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

$0.55 Rp 9,867

158.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.4K

$0.26 Rp 4,619

146.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 Rp 64.9K

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

-12.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

14.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 Rp 38.0K

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

66.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

38.55%

Eggs

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

66.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 Rp 294.8K

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

111.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.7K

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

16.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 Rp 210.6K

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

50.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 Rp 62.7K

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

72.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

13.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

16.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

27.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 17.9K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

12.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,256

$0.39 Rp 7,029

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.20 Rp 381.6K

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

-15.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 Rp 39.2K

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 Rp 51.9K

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,137

$0.35 Rp 6,237

-34.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.27 Rp 148.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,030

$0.46 Rp 8,282

-2.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,471

$0.42 Rp 7,542

11.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 Rp 97.6K

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

110.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

-5.68%

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

$24.0K Rp 431.7M

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

-2.58%

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

$31.9K Rp 573.5M

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

-1.29%

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

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

-9.05%

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

$6.46 Rp 116.3K

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

41.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 Rp 336.4K

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

-1.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.96 Rp 827.2K

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

156.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 Rp 267.7K

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

123.27%

Cinema Ticket

$3.67 Rp 66.1K

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

39.02%

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

$443 Rp 8.0M

$277 Rp 5.0M

59.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,164 Rp 93.0M

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

-44.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.58 Rp 784.5K

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

-38.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.98 Rp 593.7K

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

-14.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

-7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

-0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 Rp 17.5M

$282 Rp 5.1M

245.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 Rp 10.7M

$144 Rp 2.6M

311.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 Rp 55.2M

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

147.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 Rp 26.3M

$601 Rp 10.8M

143.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 Rp 43.0M

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

10.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 Rp 35.0M

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

81.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 Rp 3.9M

$271 Rp 4.9M

-20.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

7.5

83.73%

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

Last update for Bali: October 20, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$593 48.3%

Surabaya

$144 21.4% 75.7% $449

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$273 22.3%

Surabaya

$209 31% 23.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.5%

Surabaya

$111 16.5% 6.1% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$102 8.3%

Surabaya

$119 17.7% 17.1% $17

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Surabaya

$63 9.4% 29.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 56.5% $30

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 67.1% $8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Bali versus $282 in Surabaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Surabaya, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Bali versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $209 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

17:49 5:49 PM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bali Surabaya 310 km

From you

Bali
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

Bali vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 82% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Bali and $1,011 in Surabaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surabaya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,229 in Bali and $674 in Surabaya. That's a gap of about 82%.

Kindergarten costs $443 per month in Bali and $277 in Surabaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Bali at $1,229. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surabaya costs $674 versus $1,229 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Surabaya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.