Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Surakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $589 in Surakarta, rent and utilities included – about $240 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surakarta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Butuan and in Surakarta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $569 in Butuan versus $589 in Surakarta.

Butuan $569
Surakarta $589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $899 in Butuan versus $933 in Surakarta.

Butuan $899
Surakarta $933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,229 in Butuan versus $1,278 in Surakarta.

Butuan $1,229
Surakarta $1,278

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Butuan 58% lower, Surakarta 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ₱297

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

174.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.45 ₱1,685

$11.39 Rp 206.6K

132.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.32 ₱148

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

-24.18%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ₱130

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

31.61%

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

$0.30 ₱19.08

$0.53 Rp 9,664

-43.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.29

$0.23 Rp 4,147

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.40 Rp 25.5K

12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₱151

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

-14.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱122

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

123.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.7

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.0

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

20.00%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

83.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 ₱409

$7.78 Rp 141.1K

-17.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 ₱302

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

193.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ₱599

$5.32 Rp 96.5K

76.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ₱169

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

34.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₱69.5

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

-16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.4

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

-17.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱125

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

44.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 ₱217

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

107.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱75.1

$0.53 Rp 9,568

122.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.55

$0.43 Rp 7,783

62.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₱154

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

25.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱489

$8.23 Rp 149.3K

-6.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.1

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

-21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱102

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

-46.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 Rp 7,401

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.35 Rp 205.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.5

$0.47 Rp 8,488

72.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.33

$0.43 Rp 7,747

-44.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱123

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

-25.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱67.8

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

35.90%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$25.0K Rp 454.0M

-16.97%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$32.9K Rp 596.8M

-41.87%

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

$106 ₱6,734

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

36.06%

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

$18.42 ₱1,173

$2.06 Rp 37.3K

794.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ₱1,951

$18.73 Rp 339.7K

63.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.59 ₱1,502

$16.13 Rp 292.6K

46.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.18 ₱266

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

122.34%

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

$106 ₱6,747

$33.22 Rp 602.5K

218.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,473 ₱476.0K

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

305.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ₱3,793

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ₱1,920

$36.70 Rp 665.7K

-17.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 ₱4,397

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

1.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,866

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

-7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 Rp 4.0M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 Rp 6.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$712 Rp 12.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$155 Rp 2.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

7.5

10.80%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$198 34.9%

Surakarta

$147 25% 25.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$155 27.2%

Surakarta

$98 16.7% 36.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$99 17.3%

Surakarta

$103 17.5% 4.5% $4.5

Eating Out

Butuan

$84 14.7%

Surakarta

$57 9.7% 31.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$32 5.6%

Surakarta

$20 3.4% 37.7% $12

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Surakarta

$16 2.7% 675% $14

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Surakarta

$147 25%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26 in Butuan vs $11 in Surakarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $147 per month, with Surakarta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

1 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

503,421

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.08 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Butuan Surakarta 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
Surakarta

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

Butuan vs Surakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Surakarta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $854 in Butuan and $883 in Surakarta to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $106 in Butuan versus $33 in Surakarta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surakarta – a meal for two runs $11 versus $26 in Butuan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Butuan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.