Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $628 a month against $674 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $628 in Bandung versus $674 in Surabaya.

Bandung $628
Surabaya $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $929 in Bandung versus $1,173 in Surabaya.

Bandung $929
Surabaya $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,230 in Bandung versus $1,672 in Surabaya.

Bandung $1,230
Surabaya $1,672

Living in Bandung costs roughly 7% less than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bandung 54% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

-12.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.68 Rp 246.2K

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

21.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

2.87%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

-5.13%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,689

$0.55 Rp 9,867

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,341

$0.26 Rp 4,619

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 Rp 55.9K

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 Rp 55.2K

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

-26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

-14.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

-22.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.2K

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

2.41%

Eggs

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

22.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.08 Rp 127.4K

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

-8.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.83 Rp 51.0K

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

-8.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 Rp 139.8K

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

0.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

12.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 Rp 19.0K

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

-17.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

-22.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

-36.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

-20.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.5K

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

-28.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,573

$0.39 Rp 7,029

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

31.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.34 Rp 402.1K

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

-11.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 Rp 34.1K

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 Rp 58.3K

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

14.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,256

$0.35 Rp 6,237

-17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.57 Rp 172.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$0.46 Rp 8,282

78.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 Rp 9,203

$0.42 Rp 7,542

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

-13.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

-3.41%

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

$20.7K Rp 373.4M

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

-15.75%

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

$31.6K Rp 569.6M

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

-1.96%

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

$33.38 Rp 600.8K

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

-61.77%

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

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

-4.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.09 Rp 343.7K

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.35 Rp 330.3K

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

2.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

-10.06%

Cinema Ticket

$2.73 Rp 49.2K

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

3.41%

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

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

$277 Rp 5.0M

-66.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,172 Rp 147.1M

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

-12.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.74 Rp 697.3K

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

-45.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.83 Rp 572.9K

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 Rp 1.4M

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

-5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

-4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 Rp 3.9M

$282 Rp 5.1M

-23.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 Rp 3.2M

$144 Rp 2.6M

24.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.8M

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

-69.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 Rp 4.8M

$601 Rp 10.8M

-55.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$726 Rp 13.1M

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

-66.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$301 Rp 5.4M

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

-71.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 Rp 5.0M

$271 Rp 4.9M

3.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

7.5

51.73%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$192 30.6%

Surabaya

$209 31% 8.7% $17

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$180 28.6%

Surabaya

$144 21.4% 19.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$98 15.7%

Surabaya

$119 17.7% 21.4% $21

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Surabaya

$63 9.4% 0.4% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Surabaya

$111 16.5% 95.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$24 3.8%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 2.6% $0.6

Getting Around

Bandung

$14 2.3%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 72.1% $10

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 $216 in Bandung and $282 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $14.00 in Bandung vs $11.00 in Surabaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $209, with Bandung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

Same time as Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

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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Highest

Between locations

Bandung Surabaya 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
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

Bandung vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Surabaya. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Bandung, 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: $216 in Bandung versus $282 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $91.7 in Bandung versus $277 in Surabaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $11.00 in Surabaya. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bandung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $628 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bandung and Surabaya are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Surabaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.