Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $897 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
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Denpasar, Bali Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$897

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Denpasar, Bali versus $674 in Surabaya.

Denpasar, Bali $897
Surabaya $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,173 in Surabaya.

Denpasar, Bali $1,498
Surabaya $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,099 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,672 in Surabaya.

Denpasar, Bali $2,099
Surabaya $1,672

Living in Denpasar, Bali is roughly 33% more expensive than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Denpasar, Bali 34% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 Rp 39.0K

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

33.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.40 Rp 421.2K

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

107.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.85 Rp 69.2K

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

22.61%

Cappuccino

$1.75 Rp 31.5K

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

12.18%

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

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

$0.55 Rp 9,867

98.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 Rp 9,843

$0.26 Rp 4,619

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.9K

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

-27.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 Rp 22.1K

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

-1.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

41.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

20.48%

Eggs

$1.67 Rp 30.1K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

41.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.75 Rp 247.5K

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

77.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 Rp 55.7K

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.82 Rp 176.7K

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

26.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 Rp 53.4K

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

47.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 22.0K

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

-5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

-0.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

6.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.0K

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

2.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

-5.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,874

$0.39 Rp 7,029

12.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.75 Rp 31.5K

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

-11.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.50 Rp 333.0K

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

-26.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

-16.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,158

$0.35 Rp 6,237

-34.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.46 Rp 134.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.42 Rp 7,507

$0.46 Rp 8,282

-8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,696

$0.42 Rp 7,542

2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

19.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

-14.77%

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

$21.4K Rp 385.2M

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

-13.07%

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

$29.8K Rp 535.9M

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

-7.76%

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

$74.0 Rp 1.3M

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

-15.24%

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

$5.66 Rp 101.9K

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

23.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 Rp 304.9K

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

-11.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.92 Rp 700.5K

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

117.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.66 Rp 227.8K

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

90.09%

Cinema Ticket

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

13.26%

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

$373 Rp 6.7M

$277 Rp 5.0M

34.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,351 Rp 78.3M

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

-53.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.22 Rp 687.9K

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

-46.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.44 Rp 547.9K

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

-21.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.0 Rp 1.2M

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

-15.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 Rp 1.2M

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

-9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 Rp 10.5M

$282 Rp 5.1M

107.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 Rp 6.3M

$144 Rp 2.6M

141.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,866 Rp 33.6M

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

50.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 Rp 16.1M

$601 Rp 10.8M

48.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,429 Rp 25.7M

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

-33.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,199 Rp 21.6M

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

11.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$274 Rp 4.9M

$271 Rp 4.9M

1.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

7.5

83.73%

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

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: 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

Denpasar, Bali

$348 38.8%

Surabaya

$144 21.4% 58.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Denpasar, Bali

$233 26%

Surabaya

$209 31% 10.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denpasar, Bali

$97 10.8%

Surabaya

$111 16.5% 14.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Denpasar, Bali

$92 10.3%

Surabaya

$119 17.7% 29.7% $27

Eating Out

Denpasar, Bali

$71 8%

Surabaya

$63 9.4% 11.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Denpasar, Bali

$45 5%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 48.3% $22

Getting Around

Denpasar, Bali

$11 1.2%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 64% $7

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 $586 in Denpasar, Bali and $282 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denpasar, Bali pays 1% 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: $23.00 in Denpasar, Bali vs $11.00 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $209 per month, with Surabaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

1 h behind Denpasar, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

788,445

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Denpasar, Bali Surabaya 310 km

From you

Denpasar, Bali
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

Denpasar, Bali vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Denpasar, Bali and Surabaya differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($897 vs $674 including rent). Surabaya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Denpasar, Bali, 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: $586 in Denpasar, Bali versus $282 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Denpasar, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $897 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $674 in Surabaya – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $674 in Surabaya versus $897 in Denpasar, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surabaya but tight or insufficient in Denpasar, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Surabaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Denpasar, Bali 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 33% less than in Denpasar, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.