Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Jakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $772 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balikpapan and in Jakarta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $669 in Balikpapan versus $772 in Jakarta.

Balikpapan $669
Jakarta $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,057 in Balikpapan versus $1,257 in Jakarta.

Balikpapan $1,057
Jakarta $1,257

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Balikpapan versus $1,741 in Jakarta.

Balikpapan $1,444
Jakarta $1,741

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 13% less than in Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Balikpapan 51% lower, Jakarta 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

-48.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

$16.34 Rp 296.7K

-33.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$3.24 Rp 58.8K

-6.79%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

-33.66%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,320

$0.41 Rp 7,484

-14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,034

$0.26 Rp 4,726

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

$2.49 Rp 45.3K

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$3.89 Rp 70.7K

-9.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

-2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

39.29%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$1.76 Rp 32.0K

38.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

$9.22 Rp 167.5K

-22.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

$2.95 Rp 53.7K

1.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

$7.34 Rp 133.4K

17.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

-20.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

$1.35 Rp 24.4K

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

$2.48 Rp 45.0K

-37.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-13.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

-12.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

-4.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

-11.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.50 Rp 9,042

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

$2.79 Rp 50.7K

-36.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

$21.05 Rp 382.3K

0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$2.03 Rp 36.9K

-11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,151

$0.16 Rp 2,945

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

$11.69 Rp 212.3K

-1.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$0.49 Rp 8,965

126.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,189

$0.32 Rp 5,793

-9.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$3.28 Rp 59.7K

-14.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

-12.79%

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

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

$27.0K Rp 490.3M

-14.16%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

$32.7K Rp 593.7M

-3.96%

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

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

$107 Rp 1.9M

-40.09%

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

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

$5.99 Rp 108.7K

-30.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

$19.06 Rp 346.2K

54.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

$19.34 Rp 351.3K

23.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

$13.90 Rp 252.4K

-40.50%

Cinema Ticket

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

-9.32%

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

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

$238 Rp 4.3M

-61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

$8,010 Rp 145.5M

14.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

-34.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

$27.82 Rp 505.3K

-32.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$70.5 Rp 1.3M

98.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

$103 Rp 1.9M

-31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 Rp 3.6M

$355 Rp 6.4M

-44.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$191 Rp 3.5M

-25.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.2M

$1,123 Rp 20.4M

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 Rp 6.6M

$544 Rp 9.9M

-33.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

$2,742 Rp 49.8M

-51.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 Rp 14.1M

$1,506 Rp 27.3M

-48.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$441 Rp 8.0M

-46.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.8%

Jakarta

$214 27.7% 4% $8.3

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$143 21.4%

Jakarta

$191 24.7% 33.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$120 18%

Jakarta

$116 15.1% 3.2% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$98 14.6%

Jakarta

$132 17.1% 35% $34

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$58 8.6%

Jakarta

$79 10.2% 36.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Jakarta

$26 3.3% 13.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$15 2.2%

Jakarta

$14 1.9% 3.5% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Balikpapan and $355 in Jakarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jakarta pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Balikpapan vs $16 in Jakarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $214 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

11,337,563 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Balikpapan Jakarta 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
Jakarta

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

Balikpapan vs Jakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $669 in Balikpapan and $772 in Jakarta, so Balikpapan is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Balikpapan. 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: $197 in Balikpapan versus $355 in Jakarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $92 in Balikpapan versus $238 in Jakarta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikpapan – a meal for two runs $11 versus $16 in Jakarta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Balikpapan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Balikpapan wins on affordability, Jakarta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.