Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Surakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $589 a month against $623 in Bandung, rent and utilities included – about $410 less a year. The total is higher in Bandung despite lower rent and utilities.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
Learn more

Bandung Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index

Jump to prices

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung and in Surakarta

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 Surakarta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Bandung versus $589 in Surakarta.

Bandung $623
Surakarta $589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $925 in Bandung versus $933 in Surakarta.

Bandung $925
Surakarta $933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,226 in Bandung versus $1,278 in Surakarta.

Bandung $1,226
Surakarta $1,278

Living in Bandung is roughly 6% more expensive than in Surakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bandung 54% lower, Surakarta 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-17.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 Rp 248.6K

$11.39 Rp 206.6K

20.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.22 Rp 58.4K

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

5.23%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

-4.52%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,764

$0.53 Rp 9,664

-18.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,986

$0.23 Rp 4,147

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 Rp 56.3K

$1.40 Rp 25.5K

121.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 Rp 56.3K

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

11.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

29.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 Rp 17.6K

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

31.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

14.67%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

41.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 Rp 125.9K

$7.78 Rp 141.1K

-10.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 53.0K

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

80.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 Rp 143.8K

$5.32 Rp 96.5K

49.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

12.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

-19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

-18.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

-36.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

-19.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 35.1K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

18.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.53 Rp 9,568

20.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,800

$0.43 Rp 7,783

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

32.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.37 Rp 405.8K

$8.23 Rp 149.3K

171.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 Rp 57.2K

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,853

$0.41 Rp 7,401

-34.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 Rp 227.9K

$11.35 Rp 205.8K

10.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$0.47 Rp 8,488

78.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 Rp 9,717

$0.43 Rp 7,747

25.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

-10.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

7.69%

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

$20.8K Rp 376.5M

$25.0K Rp 454.0M

-17.08%

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

$32.2K Rp 584.6M

$32.9K Rp 596.8M

-2.05%

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

$33.56 Rp 608.6K

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

-56.81%

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

$4.22 Rp 76.6K

$2.06 Rp 37.3K

104.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.17 Rp 347.7K

$18.73 Rp 339.7K

2.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 Rp 296.6K

$16.13 Rp 292.6K

1.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.92 Rp 107.4K

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

-28.76%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 Rp 51.2K

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

50.53%

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

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

$33.22 Rp 602.5K

177.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 Rp 149.4M

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

347.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.89 Rp 705.3K

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

-33.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 Rp 567.6K

$36.70 Rp 665.7K

-14.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 Rp 1.4M

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

9.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 Rp 3.8M

$223 Rp 4.0M

-6.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$147 Rp 2.7M

19.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 Rp 6.7M

$559 Rp 10.1M

-33.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 Rp 4.8M

$367 Rp 6.7M

-28.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$706 Rp 12.8M

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

-36.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$298 Rp 5.4M

$712 Rp 12.9M

-58.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 Rp 5.0M

$155 Rp 2.8M

78.89%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$192 30.8%

Surakarta

$147 25% 23.3% $45

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$176 28.2%

Surakarta

$147 25% 16.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$96 15.5%

Surakarta

$103 17.5% 7.1% $6.8

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Surakarta

$57 9.7% 9.3% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Surakarta

$98 16.7% 72.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$22 3.5%

Surakarta

$20 3.4% 9.5% $2.1

Getting Around

Bandung

$17 2.8%

Surakarta

$16 2.7% 9.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Bandung and $223 in Surakarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $14 in Bandung vs $11 in Surakarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $147 per month, with Surakarta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

Same time as Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

503,421

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandung Surakarta 360 km

From you

Bandung
Surakarta

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 Surakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surakarta wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Bandung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Surakarta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 79% 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: $208 in Bandung versus $223 in Surakarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Bandung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Surakarta – a meal for two runs $11 versus $14 in Bandung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Surakarta 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 – Surakarta wins on affordability, Bandung on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.