Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bekasi and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Bekasi: $659 a month against $682 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $280 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surabaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Bekasi, Indonesia
Surabaya, Indonesia
Bekasi
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$659
/mo nomad
Surabaya
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$682
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $659 in Bekasi versus $682 in Surabaya.

  • Bekasi $659
  • Surabaya $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,069 in Bekasi versus $1,188 in Surabaya.

  • Bekasi $1,069
  • Surabaya $1,188

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,479 in Bekasi versus $1,694 in Surabaya.

  • Bekasi $1,479
  • Surabaya $1,694

Living in Bekasi costs roughly 3% less than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.83 Rp 51.1K
$1.62 Rp 29.2K
74.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.64 Rp 264.2K
$11.34 Rp 204.7K
29.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.37 Rp 60.9K
$2.74 Rp 49.4K
22.99%
Cappuccino
$1.53 Rp 27.7K
$1.51 Rp 27.2K
1.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,225
$0.66 Rp 12.0K
-30.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 Rp 4,346
$0.28 Rp 5,115
-14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 Rp 44.8K
$2.19 Rp 39.6K
13.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.71 Rp 67.0K
$4.07 Rp 73.5K
-8.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 Rp 20.5K
$1.20 Rp 21.7K
-5.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 Rp 20.0K
$1.30 Rp 23.5K
-14.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.89 Rp 16.0K
$0.87 Rp 15.6K
2.30%
Eggs
$1.62 Rp 29.2K
$1.19 Rp 21.4K
36.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.21 Rp 166.1K
$7.45 Rp 134.5K
23.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.82 Rp 51.0K
$2.91 Rp 52.5K
-3.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.86 Rp 141.8K
$7.47 Rp 134.8K
5.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.69 Rp 48.6K
$2.00 Rp 36.1K
34.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 Rp 23.6K
$1.28 Rp 23.1K
2.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.56 Rp 46.2K
$1.82 Rp 32.8K
40.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 Rp 24.5K
$1.55 Rp 28.0K
-12.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 Rp 24.7K
$1.29 Rp 23.3K
6.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 Rp 39.3K
$1.96 Rp 35.4K
11.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.84 Rp 15.1K
$0.95 Rp 17.1K
-11.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 7,208
$0.43 Rp 7,689
-6.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.72 Rp 49.1K
$1.89 Rp 34.1K
43.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.92 Rp 395.7K
$24.59 Rp 443.7K
-10.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 Rp 34.4K
$1.68 Rp 30.3K
13.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 Rp 58.5K
$2.82 Rp 50.8K
14.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 Rp 6,163
$0.29 Rp 5,299
17.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.16 Rp 201.4K
$16.73 Rp 301.9K
-33.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 Rp 14.7K
$0.50 Rp 8,996
64.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,727
$0.42 Rp 7,574
2.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$2.58 Rp 46.5K
-13.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 Rp 16.4K
$0.87 Rp 15.7K
4.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K Rp 375.6M
$25.0K Rp 451.1M
-16.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.7K Rp 589.8M
$32.1K Rp 579.2M
1.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.3 Rp 1.1M
$86.4 Rp 1.6M
-26.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.92 Rp 106.8K
$4.56 Rp 82.2K
29.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.82 Rp 339.6K
$19.27 Rp 347.9K
-2.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.42 Rp 278.4K
$15.43 Rp 278.6K
-0.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.32 Rp 114.0K
$6.74 Rp 121.7K
-6.23%
Cinema Ticket
$3.13 Rp 56.5K
$2.61 Rp 47.1K
19.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 Rp 2.3M
$280 Rp 5.1M
-55.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.4K Rp 187.2M
$4,211 Rp 76.0M
146.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 Rp 1.1M
$69.0 Rp 1.2M
-13.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.27 Rp 564.4K
$37.98 Rp 685.5K
-17.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 Rp 1.4M
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
-6.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.2 Rp 1.7M
$72.3 Rp 1.3M
28.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$204 Rp 3.7M
$273 Rp 4.9M
-25.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$131 Rp 2.4M
$146 Rp 2.6M
-10.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$463 Rp 8.4M
$1,230 Rp 22.2M
-62.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$359 Rp 6.5M
$611 Rp 11.0M
-41.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$596 Rp 10.8M
$2,179 Rp 39.3M
-72.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$906 Rp 16.3M
$1,072 Rp 19.4M
-15.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bekasi
Surabaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$353 Rp 6.4M
$253 Rp 4.6M
39.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
7.5
26.00%

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

Last update for Bekasi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bekasi
$213
Surabaya
$205 3.5% $7.5
Accommodation & Living
Bekasi
$131
Surabaya
$146 11.4% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Bekasi
$117
Surabaya
$117 0.2% $0.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bekasi
$88
Surabaya
$110 25.2% $22
Eating Out
Bekasi
$74
Surabaya
$62 15.7% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Bekasi
$22
Surabaya
$21 4.7% $1
Getting Around
Bekasi
$15
Surabaya
$21 32.4% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $204 in Bekasi and $273 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bekasi pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15 in Bekasi vs $11 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $205 per month, with Surabaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bekasi
🇮🇩 Surabaya
🕒 Local time
10:18 10:18 AM
10:18 10:18 AM
Same time as Bekasi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,334,871
2,765,487
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,262 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bekasi Surabaya 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bekasi
  • 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
Bekasi vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bekasi and in Surabaya?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $659 in Bekasi and $682 in Surabaya, so Bekasi is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Bekasi or Surabaya?
Average pay runs 39% higher in Bekasi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Bekasi and in Surabaya?
Rent for a central apartment: $204 in Bekasi versus $273 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Surabaya – a meal for two runs $11 versus $15 in Bekasi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bekasi or Surabaya?
All in, you’ll spend $659 per month in Bekasi versus $682 in Surabaya – Bekasi is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $1,200 go in Bekasi compared to Surabaya?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bekasi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Bekasi and Surabaya?
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.

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