Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $688 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $688 in Surabaya, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Surabaya $688

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $1,191 in Surabaya, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Surabaya $1,191

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $1,695 in Surabaya, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Surabaya $1,695

Berlin costs about 270% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Berlin sits 90% above the global median, while Surabaya is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

894.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

598.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

338.69%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

171.97%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

457.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$0.28 Rp 5,026

1014.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

142.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$4.09 Rp 73.1K

11.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

4.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

92.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

292.86%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

270.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$7.66 Rp 136.9K

123.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

295.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

133.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

71.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

52.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

79.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

144.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

63.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

15.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

55.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.43 Rp 7,679

134.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

440.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

-72.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

-22.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.00 Rp 53.5K

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.32 Rp 5,669

1265.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$0.48 Rp 8,519

1002.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$0.43 Rp 7,679

609.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

1290.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

174.70%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$25.0K Rp 446.0M

33.21%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$32.8K Rp 585.5M

19.22%

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

$379 €339

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

340.26%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

321.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$19.24 Rp 343.9K

151.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$17.96 Rp 321.0K

124.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

420.67%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

470.96%

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

$144 €128

$280 Rp 5.0M

-48.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$9,557 Rp 170.8M

64.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

35.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$39.31 Rp 702.6K

17.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

26.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

92.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$279 Rp 5.0M

433.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$147 Rp 2.6M

648.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

113.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$620 Rp 11.1M

235.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

298.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

419.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$273 Rp 4.9M

1176.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

7.5

-49.33%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Surabaya

$147 21.7% 86.6% $951

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Surabaya

$110 16.3% 75.4% $337

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Surabaya

$209 30.9% 40.4% $141

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Surabaya

$65 9.5% 77.6% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Surabaya

$119 17.6% 31.5% $55

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 96.4% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Surabaya

$23 3.5% 67.2% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $279 in Surabaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1177% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Berlin versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $209 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

5 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Surabaya 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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

Berlin vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 270%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $1,032 in Surabaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surabaya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Berlin and $11.00 in Surabaya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Berlin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surabaya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Surabaya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.