Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $688 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $688 in Surabaya, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Surabaya $688

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,191 in Surabaya, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Surabaya $1,191

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,695 in Surabaya, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Surabaya $1,695

Budapest costs about 136% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Surabaya is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

727.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

429.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

226.56%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

115.29%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

249.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.28 Rp 5,026

567.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

65.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$4.09 Rp 73.1K

-12.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

-7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

44.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

184.52%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

219.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$7.66 Rp 136.9K

47.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

118.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

87.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

-11.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

54.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

29.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

141.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

-26.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

-46.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.43 Rp 7,679

53.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

310.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

-75.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

-24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$3.00 Rp 53.5K

-30.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.32 Rp 5,669

368.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.48 Rp 8,519

587.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.43 Rp 7,679

202.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

657.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

118.07%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$25.0K Rp 446.0M

17.54%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$32.8K Rp 585.5M

4.13%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

97.24%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

423.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$19.24 Rp 343.9K

21.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$17.96 Rp 321.0K

268.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

181.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

250.00%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$280 Rp 5.0M

91.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$9,557 Rp 170.8M

73.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

44.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$39.31 Rp 702.6K

9.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

38.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

61.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$279 Rp 5.0M

188.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$147 Rp 2.6M

328.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

24.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$620 Rp 11.1M

88.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

160.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

278.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$273 Rp 4.9M

495.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

7.5

-14.27%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Surabaya

$147 21.7% 76.7% $482

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Surabaya

$209 30.9% 18.9% $49

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Surabaya

$65 9.5% 71.2% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Surabaya

$110 16.3% 49.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Surabaya

$119 17.6% 29.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Surabaya

$23 3.5% 72.5% $62

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 91% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest 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 495% higher in Budapest, 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $209 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

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 HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Surabaya 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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

Budapest vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest 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 $60.0 in Budapest 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 23% more in Budapest, 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 Budapest at $1,621. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest 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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.