Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $989 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$989

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $989 in Bishkek versus $674 in Surabaya.

Bishkek $989
Surabaya $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,516 in Bishkek versus $1,173 in Surabaya.

Bishkek $1,516
Surabaya $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,042 in Bishkek versus $1,672 in Surabaya.

Bishkek $2,042
Surabaya $1,672

Living in Bishkek is roughly 47% more expensive than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.01 KGS 613

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

330.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.94 KGS 2,531

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

157.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 KGS 525

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

91.08%

Cappuccino

$2.49 KGS 218

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

59.62%

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

$0.71 KGS 62.5

$0.55 Rp 9,867

29.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 KGS 32.76

$0.26 Rp 4,619

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 KGS 116

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

-38.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 KGS 172

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

-52.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KGS 86.2

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

-20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 KGS 33.95

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

-69.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 KGS 149

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

106.02%

Eggs

$1.75 KGS 153

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

48.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 KGS 684

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

0.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 KGS 410

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

51.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 KGS 775

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

14.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 KGS 120

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

-32.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

41.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

6.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 KGS 137

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

5.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 KGS 54.0

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

-54.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.85

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

-73.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.5

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

-21.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 KGS 53.9

$0.39 Rp 7,029

58.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 KGS 177

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

2.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 KGS 799

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

-63.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 KGS 120

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

-20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KGS 171

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

-31.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.02

$0.35 Rp 6,237

-31.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.77 KGS 1,030

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 77.9

$0.46 Rp 8,282

93.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.16

$0.42 Rp 7,542

11.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 KGS 488

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

116.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 KGS 83.8

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

9.09%

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

$29.7K KGS 2.6M

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

20.70%

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

$33.4K KGS 2.9M

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

3.47%

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

$50.5 KGS 4,417

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

-42.18%

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

$5.77 KGS 505

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

26.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.99 KGS 1,049

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

-37.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 KGS 4,839

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

208.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.53 KGS 1,271

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

118.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 KGS 508

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

120.08%

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

$218 KGS 19.1K

$277 Rp 5.0M

-21.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,840 KGS 685.9K

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

-15.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 KGS 4,917

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

-20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.43 KGS 3,799

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

12.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 KGS 7,916

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

12.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 KGS 7,855

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 KGS 52.0K

$282 Rp 5.1M

110.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 KGS 36.4K

$144 Rp 2.6M

188.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 KGS 88.9K

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

-17.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$601 Rp 10.8M

19.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 KGS 152.9K

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

-19.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 KGS 107.1K

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

14.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 KGS 43.5K

$271 Rp 4.9M

83.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

7.5

168.00%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 18, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$416 42.1%

Surabaya

$144 21.4% 65.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 17.9%

Surabaya

$209 31% 18% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.7%

Surabaya

$119 17.7% 5.2% $6.5

Eating Out

Bishkek

$119 12%

Surabaya

$63 9.4% 46.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Surabaya

$111 16.5% 62.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$67 6.8%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 65.4% $44

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 75.3% $12

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 $595 in Bishkek and $282 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 84% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Bishkek vs $11.00 in Surabaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $177 vs $209, with Bishkek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

1 h ahead of Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

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

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Surabaya 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
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

Bishkek vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Bishkek, 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: $595 in Bishkek versus $282 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $218 in Bishkek 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 Surabaya – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $29.00 in Bishkek. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $674 in Surabaya versus $989 in Bishkek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surabaya but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Surabaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surabaya is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bishkek, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bishkek 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 Surabaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.