Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jakarta and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $588 a month against $797 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
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Ambon Living Index

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Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$797

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jakarta and in Ambon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $797 in Jakarta versus $588 in Ambon.

Jakarta $797
Ambon $588

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,286 in Jakarta versus $995 in Ambon.

Jakarta $1,286
Ambon $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,776 in Jakarta versus $1,401 in Ambon.

Jakarta $1,776
Ambon $1,401

Living in Jakarta is roughly 35% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jakarta 41% lower, Ambon 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.68 Rp 48.7K

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

141.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.76 Rp 304.2K

$14.28 Rp 259.2K

17.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

$3.83 Rp 69.5K

-12.27%

Cappuccino

$1.98 Rp 35.9K

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

32.89%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,823

$0.46 Rp 8,379

-6.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,735

$0.28 Rp 5,002

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

$2.23 Rp 40.6K

14.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 Rp 67.7K

$3.46 Rp 62.9K

7.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 Rp 24.6K

$1.03 Rp 18.8K

32.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 Rp 20.4K

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.2K

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

12.66%

Eggs

$1.83 Rp 33.3K

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

33.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 Rp 179.2K

$7.18 Rp 130.3K

37.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 Rp 56.5K

$2.85 Rp 51.7K

9.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 Rp 134.6K

$7.47 Rp 135.6K

-0.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

23.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 Rp 46.7K

$1.60 Rp 29.0K

60.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 Rp 25.3K

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

12.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.8K

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

18.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,769

$0.40 Rp 7,208

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 Rp 51.3K

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

29.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.66 Rp 375.1K

$20.54 Rp 372.9K

0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

$1.81 Rp 32.9K

20.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Rp 58.9K

$2.92 Rp 53.1K

11.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,855

$0.25 Rp 4,558

-16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.55 Rp 209.7K

$11.45 Rp 207.8K

0.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 Rp 9,513

$0.50 Rp 9,159

4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,251

$0.29 Rp 5,354

17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

$2.71 Rp 49.1K

12.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

10.00%

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

$27.4K Rp 498.2M

$23.7K Rp 430.3M

15.78%

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

$32.1K Rp 583.6M

$35.6K Rp 645.7M

-9.61%

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

$121 Rp 2.2M

$55.9 Rp 1.0M

115.63%

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

$5.93 Rp 107.7K

$5.62 Rp 102.1K

5.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.46 Rp 335.1K

$19.16 Rp 347.8K

-3.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.01 Rp 345.1K

$18.90 Rp 343.0K

0.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 Rp 252.4K

$7.07 Rp 128.3K

96.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.05 Rp 55.3K

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

116.31%

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

$233 Rp 4.2M

$94.9 Rp 1.7M

146.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K Rp 367.5M

$8,975 Rp 162.9M

125.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

$43.58 Rp 791.1K

42.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.67 Rp 502.4K

$27.84 Rp 505.4K

-0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 Rp 1.3M

$75.7 Rp 1.4M

-4.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 Rp 1.9M

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

46.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$366 Rp 6.6M

$211 Rp 3.8M

73.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 Rp 3.6M

$124 Rp 2.3M

57.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 Rp 20.3M

$612 Rp 11.1M

82.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 Rp 10.0M

$420 Rp 7.6M

30.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,853 Rp 51.8M

$1,295 Rp 23.5M

120.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,525 Rp 27.7M

$756 Rp 13.7M

101.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 Rp 7.6M

$121 Rp 2.2M

244.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

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

Last update for Jakarta: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ambon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jakarta

$218 27.4%

Ambon

$190 32.3% 13.2% $29

Accommodation & Living

Jakarta

$196 24.6%

Ambon

$124 21.2% 36.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jakarta

$145 18.2%

Ambon

$81 13.7% 44.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Jakarta

$119 15%

Ambon

$98 16.7% 18% $21

Eating Out

Jakarta

$78 9.8%

Ambon

$59 10.1% 24.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Jakarta

$25 3.2%

Ambon

$22 3.7% 13.5% $3.4

Getting Around

Jakarta

$15 1.8%

Ambon

$14 2.5% 1.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $366 in Jakarta and $211 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jakarta pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Jakarta vs $14 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $190 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

11:35 11:35 AM

2 h ahead of Jakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,337,563 Capital

275,888

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jakarta Ambon 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jakarta
Ambon

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

Jakarta vs Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Jakarta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Jakarta is about 3.4 times higher, 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: $366 in Jakarta versus $211 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Jakarta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $797 per month in Jakarta versus $588 in Ambon – Ambon is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ambon wins on affordability, Jakarta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.