Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $688 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Surabaya despite lower rent and utilities.

Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$520
/mo nomad
Surabaya
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$688
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $688 in Surabaya, rent included.

  • Delhi $520
  • Surabaya $688

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,191 in Surabaya, rent included.

  • Delhi $858
  • Surabaya $1,191

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,695 in Surabaya, rent included.

  • Delhi $1,195
  • Surabaya $1,695

Delhi is about 24% cheaper than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Surabaya are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Surabaya 49% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.67 ₹355
$1.69 Rp 30.2K
117.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.95 ₹2,027
$11.40 Rp 203.9K
83.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.74 ₹362
$3.05 Rp 54.6K
22.62%
Cappuccino
$2.33 ₹226
$1.57 Rp 28.0K
48.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹35.82
$0.61 Rp 10.8K
-39.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20 ₹18.91
$0.28 Rp 5,026
-28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.02 ₹195
$2.26 Rp 40.5K
-10.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 ₹308
$4.09 Rp 73.1K
-22.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.68 ₹65.9
$1.22 Rp 21.8K
-44.26%
White Bread (500g)
$0.52 ₹50.2
$1.27 Rp 22.8K
-59.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.83 ₹80.0
$0.84 Rp 15.0K
-1.19%
Eggs
$1.07 ₹104
$1.20 Rp 21.5K
-10.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.43 ₹428
$7.66 Rp 136.9K
-42.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.37 ₹326
$3.08 Rp 55.0K
9.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$7.85 Rp 140.3K
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 ₹192
$2.09 Rp 37.4K
-4.78%
Banana (1kg)
$0.72 ₹70.1
$1.30 Rp 23.2K
-44.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 ₹98.4
$1.82 Rp 32.6K
-43.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 ₹50.1
$1.56 Rp 27.8K
-66.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.27 ₹25.96
$1.30 Rp 23.3K
-79.23%
Onion (1kg)
$0.37 ₹35.42
$1.91 Rp 34.2K
-80.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 ₹41.64
$0.96 Rp 17.2K
-55.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹30.39
$0.43 Rp 7,679
-27.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.92 ₹476
$1.94 Rp 34.6K
153.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.34 ₹808
$24.67 Rp 441.1K
-66.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₹159
$1.73 Rp 30.9K
-5.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 ₹261
$3.00 Rp 53.5K
-10.00%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.15 ₹596
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 ₹44.04
$0.32 Rp 5,669
43.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.29 ₹1,480
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ₹99.8
$0.48 Rp 8,519
114.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹26.38
$0.43 Rp 7,679
-37.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ₹148
$2.61 Rp 46.7K
-41.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 ₹102
$0.83 Rp 14.8K
26.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.5K ₹1.0M
$25.0K Rp 446.0M
-58.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.4K ₹1.8M
$32.8K Rp 585.5M
-43.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.67 ₹4,129
$86.2 Rp 1.5M
-50.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.04 ₹391
$4.58 Rp 81.9K
-11.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.75 ₹653
$19.24 Rp 343.9K
-64.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.40 ₹1,878
$17.96 Rp 321.0K
8.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.06 ₹780
$6.82 Rp 121.9K
18.18%
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 ₹492
$2.72 Rp 48.7K
86.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 ₹9,696
$280 Rp 5.0M
-64.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,268 ₹219.5K
$9,557 Rp 170.8M
-76.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.14 ₹2,336
$70.0 Rp 1.3M
-65.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.38 ₹2,747
$39.31 Rp 702.6K
-27.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.3 ₹5,160
$81.4 Rp 1.5M
-34.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.13 ₹4,271
$73.4 Rp 1.3M
-39.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$264 ₹25.5K
$279 Rp 5.0M
-5.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$154 ₹14.9K
$147 Rp 2.6M
4.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$736 ₹71.2K
$1,247 Rp 22.3M
-40.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$397 ₹38.5K
$620 Rp 11.1M
-35.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,494 ₹241.4K
$2,155 Rp 38.5M
15.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,017 ₹98.4K
$1,047 Rp 18.7M
-2.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
Surabaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$585 ₹56.7K
$273 Rp 4.9M
114.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.33
7.5
11.07%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$154
Surabaya
$147 4.8% $7.3
Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$108
Surabaya
$209 93.6% $101
Eating Out
Delhi
$87
Surabaya
$65 26% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$67
Surabaya
$119 76.1% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$53
Surabaya
$110 106% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$30
Surabaya
$23 20.8% $6.2
Getting Around
Delhi
$20
Surabaya
$3.9 * 80.1% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi 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 114% higher in Delhi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Groceries tell a different story – $108 in Delhi vs $209 in Surabaya – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Delhi
🇮🇩 Surabaya
🕒 Local time
13:02 1:02 PM
14:32 2:32 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of Delhi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,787,941 Capital
2,765,487
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Delhi Surabaya 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Delhi
  • 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
Delhi vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Delhi and in Surabaya compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $688 in Surabaya – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Delhi compared to Surabaya?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,032 in Surabaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Delhi and Surabaya?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Delhi or Surabaya?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $688 in Surabaya. That's a gap of about 32%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Delhi and Surabaya?
Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Delhi and $280 in Surabaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $1,200 go in Delhi compared to Surabaya?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $520 in Delhi and $688 in Surabaya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Delhi or Surabaya?
Families tend to lean toward Delhi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Delhi and Surabaya?
If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surabaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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