Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $552 a month against $647 in Samarinda, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bangalore
🇮🇳 India
$552
/mo nomad
Samarinda
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Samarinda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $552 in Bangalore versus $647 in Samarinda.

  • Bangalore $552
  • Samarinda $647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $936 in Bangalore versus $1,021 in Samarinda.

  • Bangalore $936
  • Samarinda $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,320 in Bangalore versus $1,395 in Samarinda.

  • Bangalore $1,320
  • Samarinda $1,395

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 15% less than in Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 59% lower, Samarinda 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.20 ₹304
$1.70 Rp 30.6K
88.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.72 ₹1,683
$13.69 Rp 246.4K
29.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.74 ₹451
$3.35 Rp 60.2K
41.49%
Cappuccino
$2.24 ₹213
$1.53 Rp 27.5K
46.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 ₹36.16
$0.44 Rp 7,903
-13.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 ₹11.88
$0.25 Rp 4,499
-48.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.29 ₹217
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
0.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 ₹351
$3.45 Rp 62.1K
6.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.63 ₹60.1
$1.07 Rp 19.2K
-41.12%
White Bread (500g)
$0.59 ₹55.6
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
-28.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.81 ₹77.2
$0.71 Rp 12.8K
14.08%
Eggs
$1.12 ₹106
$1.40 Rp 25.3K
-20.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.97 ₹567
$7.21 Rp 129.9K
-17.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.75 ₹356
$3.61 Rp 65.0K
3.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$10.04 Rp 180.7K
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ₹266
$5.14 Rp 92.4K
-45.53%
Banana (1kg)
$0.76 ₹72.6
$1.11 Rp 20.0K
-31.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.18 ₹112
$1.09 Rp 19.5K
8.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.38 ₹36.11
$1.47 Rp 26.5K
-74.15%
Potato (1kg)
$0.38 ₹35.71
$1.32 Rp 23.8K
-71.21%
Onion (1kg)
$0.36 ₹34.08
$1.76 Rp 31.7K
-79.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.42 ₹40.06
$0.75 Rp 13.6K
-44.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 ₹30.82
$0.51 Rp 9,097
-37.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 ₹456
$2.08 Rp 37.4K
130.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.31 ₹884
$21.04 Rp 378.7K
-55.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 ₹185
$1.60 Rp 28.8K
21.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₹285
$2.52 Rp 45.4K
19.05%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.37 ₹605
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 ₹50.9
$0.30 Rp 5,403
80.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.55 ₹1,477
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 ₹97.2
$0.50 Rp 8,935
104.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 ₹28.63
$0.34 Rp 6,183
-11.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 ₹194
$2.67 Rp 48.0K
-23.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ₹105
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
35.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.5K ₹1.2M
$26.8K Rp 482.4M
-53.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.7K ₹1.8M
$31.1K Rp 559.1M
-39.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$30.94 ₹2,938
$67.2 Rp 1.2M
-53.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.10 ₹389
$4.75 Rp 85.5K
-13.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.39 ₹987
$18.78 Rp 338.0K
-44.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.87 ₹1,792
$19.72 Rp 354.9K
-4.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.79 ₹550
$8.94 Rp 160.9K
-35.23%
Cinema Ticket
$4.82 ₹457
$2.75 Rp 49.4K
75.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$102 ₹9,658
$89.9 Rp 1.6M
13.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,257 ₹309.3K
$8,095 Rp 145.7M
-59.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.54 ₹3,185
$47.77 Rp 859.9K
-29.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.76 ₹2,921
$32.33 Rp 582.0K
-4.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$52.7 ₹5,002
$76.9 Rp 1.4M
-31.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.37 ₹3,834
$74.1 Rp 1.3M
-45.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$307 ₹29.1K
$195 Rp 3.5M
56.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 ₹16.7K
$148 Rp 2.7M
19.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$782 ₹74.2K
$491 Rp 8.8M
59.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 ₹45.8K
$338 Rp 6.1M
42.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,857 ₹176.3K
$1,107 Rp 19.9M
67.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,074 ₹102.0K
$730 Rp 13.1M
47.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bangalore
Samarinda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$940 ₹89.2K
$336 Rp 6.0M
179.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.46
9.46
-10.57%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bangalore
$176
Samarinda
$148 16.1% $28
Groceries & Markets
Bangalore
$124
Samarinda
$213 72.3% $89
Eating Out
Bangalore
$88
Samarinda
$63 28.1% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Bangalore
$71
Samarinda
$104 46.9% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bangalore
$45
Samarinda
$91 99.8% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Bangalore
$29
Samarinda
$25 11.5% $3.3
Getting Around
Bangalore
$20
Samarinda
$3.4 * 83.1% $17

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 $307 in Bangalore and $195 in Samarinda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 180% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $14.00 in Samarinda. Groceries flip the comparison at $124 vs $213, with Bangalore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Bangalore
🇮🇩 Samarinda
🕒 Local time
10:19 10:19 AM
12:49 12:49 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,495,492
726,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bangalore Samarinda 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bangalore
  • Samarinda

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
Bangalore vs Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bangalore or Samarinda?
Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Samarinda. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bangalore or in Samarinda?
Average pay runs 180% higher in Bangalore, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bangalore compared to Samarinda?
Rent for a central apartment: $307 in Bangalore versus $195 in Samarinda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Bangalore or in Samarinda?
Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Samarinda. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Bangalore compared to Samarinda?
All in, you'll spend $552 per month in Bangalore versus $647 in Samarinda – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $800/month in Bangalore or in Samarinda?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bangalore or Samarinda?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $552 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Samarinda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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