Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Surabaya

For one person, living costs are similar in Balikpapan and in Surabaya: $669 and $685 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
Learn more

Balikpapan Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $669 in Balikpapan versus $685 in Surabaya.

Balikpapan $669
Surabaya $685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,057 in Balikpapan versus $1,189 in Surabaya.

Balikpapan $1,057
Surabaya $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Balikpapan versus $1,693 in Surabaya.

Balikpapan $1,444
Surabaya $1,693

Monthly costs are close between Balikpapan and Surabaya; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Balikpapan 51% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

-16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

$11.51 Rp 209.1K

-5.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$3.11 Rp 56.5K

-2.89%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-12.99%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,320

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

-40.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,034

$0.28 Rp 5,128

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

0.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$4.20 Rp 76.3K

-16.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

-9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

-16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

44.44%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

105.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

$7.35 Rp 133.4K

-2.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

$3.02 Rp 54.9K

-1.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

$7.40 Rp 134.4K

16.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

6.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

5.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

-17.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

-19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

-10.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

3.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.39 Rp 7,116

84.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

-8.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

$24.42 Rp 443.5K

-13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

4.07%

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

$0.27 Rp 4,850

-14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

$16.60 Rp 301.5K

-30.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$0.47 Rp 8,504

136.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,189

$0.45 Rp 8,189

-35.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

9.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

-7.41%

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

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

$24.3K Rp 442.1M

-4.81%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

$31.7K Rp 575.1M

-0.85%

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

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

-25.92%

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

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

$4.57 Rp 82.9K

-8.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

$19.49 Rp 353.9K

51.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

$15.35 Rp 278.8K

55.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

$6.53 Rp 118.5K

26.65%

Cinema Ticket

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

7.63%

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

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

$270 Rp 4.9M

-66.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

$9,294 Rp 168.8M

-1.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

-45.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

$38.24 Rp 694.5K

-51.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

77.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

-5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 Rp 3.6M

$274 Rp 5.0M

-28.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$148 Rp 2.7M

-2.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.2M

$1,204 Rp 21.9M

-53.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 Rp 6.6M

$607 Rp 11.0M

-40.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

$2,146 Rp 39.0M

-38.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 Rp 14.1M

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

-26.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$266 Rp 4.8M

-10.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

7.5

26.13%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.8%

Surabaya

$205 29.8% 0.7% $1.4

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$143 21.4%

Surabaya

$148 21.5% 3% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$120 18%

Surabaya

$117 17.1% 2.5% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$98 14.6%

Surabaya

$111 16.1% 13.1% $13

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$58 8.6%

Surabaya

$64 9.4% 11.6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Surabaya

$21 3% 30.1% $8.9

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$15 2.2%

Surabaya

$20 3% 36.4% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Balikpapan and $274 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 12% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Balikpapan vs $12 in Surabaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $205, with Surabaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

1 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

2,765,487

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Surabaya 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
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

Balikpapan vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 10% 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 $274 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $92 in Balikpapan versus $270 in Surabaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Balikpapan runs roughly 31% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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, Surabaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.