Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gwalior and Surakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwalior: $333 a month against $509 in Surakarta, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Gwalior
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Gwalior Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index

Jump to prices

Gwalior

🇮🇳 India

$333

/mo nomad

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $333 in Gwalior versus $509 in Surakarta.

Gwalior $333
Surakarta $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $514 in Gwalior versus $817 in Surakarta.

Gwalior $514
Surakarta $817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $695 in Gwalior versus $1,124 in Surakarta.

Gwalior $695
Surakarta $1,124

Living in Gwalior costs roughly 34% less than in Surakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gwalior 75% lower, Surakarta 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹202

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

30.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.16 ₹775

$11.59 Rp 208.7K

-29.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₹258

$3.20 Rp 57.6K

-15.00%

Cappuccino

$1.51 ₹144

$1.55 Rp 27.9K

-2.58%

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

$0.29 ₹27.25

$0.54 Rp 9,772

-46.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ₹9.14

$0.25 Rp 4,534

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₹127

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₹250

$2.76 Rp 49.6K

-4.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 ₹68.3

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

-17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₹39.59

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

-42.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ₹60.4

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

-16.88%

Eggs

$0.85 ₹80.8

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

-11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.24 ₹308

$7.62 Rp 137.2K

-57.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.48 ₹236

$1.71 Rp 30.7K

45.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.40 Rp 97.3K

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 ₹123

$2.01 Rp 36.3K

-35.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.38

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

-60.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.8

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

-61.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.50

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

-66.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ₹21.80

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

-83.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.36

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

-77.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₹43.34

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.60

$0.43 Rp 7,732

-37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ₹295

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

57.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₹723

$8.44 Rp 151.9K

-9.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹153

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₹277

$2.90 Rp 52.3K

0.69%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.27 ₹595

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.93

$0.40 Rp 7,244

-45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.46 ₹328

$21.88 Rp 393.8K

-84.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₹63.0

$0.50 Rp 9,071

32.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₹18.98

$0.43 Rp 7,709

-53.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 ₹121

$2.69 Rp 48.3K

-52.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₹101

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

39.47%

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

$9,381 ₹890.8K

$24.5K Rp 440.7M

-61.68%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$32.3K Rp 582.1M

-39.30%

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

$41.53 ₹3,943

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

-46.43%

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

$3.15 ₹299

$2.10 Rp 37.8K

50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.35 ₹508

$18.23 Rp 328.2K

-70.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.70 ₹1,111

$15.74 Rp 283.3K

-25.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.73 ₹1,494

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

87.04%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 ₹353

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

92.75%

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

$40.13 ₹3,811

$33.42 Rp 601.5K

20.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,399 ₹132.9K

$1,845 Rp 33.2M

-24.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.15 ₹2,389

$59.1 Rp 1.1M

-57.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.73 ₹2,349

$35.67 Rp 642.0K

-30.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.08 ₹3,521

$70.2 Rp 1.3M

-47.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.84 ₹1,504

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

-75.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$99.6 ₹9,458

$168 Rp 3.0M

-40.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.4 ₹6,214

$56.6 Rp 1.0M

15.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$184 ₹17.5K

$338 Rp 6.1M

-45.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 ₹12.4K

$192 Rp 3.5M

-31.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$579 ₹55.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$322 ₹30.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 ₹50.7K

$158 Rp 2.8M

238.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.55

7.5

14.00%

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

Last update for Gwalior: October 12, 2026

Last update for Surakarta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gwalior

$90 26.9%

Surakarta

$148 29.2% 65.4% $59

Accommodation & Living

Gwalior

$65 19.6%

Surakarta

$57 11.1% 13.6% $8.9

Eating Out

Gwalior

$57 17.1%

Surakarta

$57 11.2% 0.3% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gwalior

$50 15%

Surakarta

$98 19.2% 95.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Gwalior

$46 13.9%

Surakarta

$103 20.3% 123% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Gwalior

$19 5.7%

Surakarta

$20 3.9% 2.4% $0.5

Getting Around

Gwalior

$6 1.8%

Surakarta

$26 5.1% 336% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $99.6 in Gwalior and $168 in Surakarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwalior pays 238% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8.00 in Gwalior vs $12.00 in Surakarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90.0 vs $148 per month, with Gwalior cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Gwalior

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Gwalior

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

503,421

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gwalior Surakarta 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Gwalior
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

Gwalior vs Surakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwalior wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Surakarta. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gwalior the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 238% higher in Gwalior, 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: $99.6 in Gwalior versus $168 in Surakarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $333 per month in Gwalior versus $509 in Surakarta – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Gwalior runs roughly 532% less than in Surakarta. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

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.

Expats usually find Gwalior gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Surakarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.