Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $688 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $688 in Surabaya, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Surabaya $688

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,191 in Surabaya, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Surabaya $1,191

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,695 in Surabaya, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Surabaya $1,695

Hong Kong costs about 334% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 123% above the global median, while Surabaya is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

400.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

454.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

103.28%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.41

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

212.10%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

108.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$0.28 Rp 5,026

278.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

239.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$4.09 Rp 73.1K

53.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

134.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

91.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

159.52%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

195.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$7.66 Rp 136.9K

227.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

188.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

124.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

96.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

109.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

152.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

157.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

71.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$0.43 Rp 7,679

302.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

577.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

-32.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$3.00 Rp 53.5K

-27.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$0.32 Rp 5,669

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

$0.48 Rp 8,519

658.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$0.43 Rp 7,679

204.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

506.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

389.16%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$25.0K Rp 446.0M

77.81%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$32.8K Rp 585.5M

14.07%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

187.21%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

246.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$19.24 Rp 343.9K

11.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$17.96 Rp 321.0K

408.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

33.14%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

413.24%

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

$280 Rp 5.0M

312.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$9,557 Rp 170.8M

132.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

-1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$39.31 Rp 702.6K

2.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

-1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

60.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$279 Rp 5.0M

681.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$147 Rp 2.6M

1070.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

304.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$620 Rp 11.1M

471.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

1252.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

1578.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$273 Rp 4.9M

1081.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

7.5

-47.87%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Surabaya

$147 21.7% 91.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Surabaya

$209 30.9% 49.6% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Surabaya

$110 16.3% 61.4% $175

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Surabaya

$65 9.5% 68.6% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Surabaya

$119 17.6% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Surabaya

$23 3.5% 80.4% $96

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 96.3% $101

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong 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 1082% higher in Hong Kong, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $209 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

15:44 3:44 PM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 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 HKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong Surabaya 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
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

Hong Kong vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $688 in Surabaya – roughly 334% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong 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 98% more in Hong Kong, 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 Hong Kong at $2,984. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $688 in Surabaya to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.