Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jakarta and Binjai

For one person, living is cheaper in Binjai: $638 a month against $772 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
Learn more

Jakarta Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Binjai
Learn more

Binjai Living Index

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Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$772

/mo nomad

Binjai

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jakarta and in Binjai

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 Binjai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in Jakarta versus $638 in Binjai.

Jakarta $772
Binjai $638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,257 in Jakarta versus $1,029 in Binjai.

Jakarta $1,257
Binjai $1,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,741 in Jakarta versus $1,421 in Binjai.

Jakarta $1,741
Binjai $1,421

Living in Jakarta is roughly 21% more expensive than in Binjai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jakarta 43% lower, Binjai 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 Rp 49.1K

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

50.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.34 Rp 296.0K

$15.06 Rp 272.9K

8.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.24 Rp 58.7K

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

15.30%

Cappuccino

$2.02 Rp 36.6K

$1.33 Rp 24.1K

51.88%

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

$0.41 Rp 7,467

$0.48 Rp 8,699

-14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,715

$0.20 Rp 3,635

30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 Rp 45.2K

$2.49 Rp 45.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 Rp 70.6K

$3.12 Rp 56.5K

24.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

32.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

14.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

5.00%

Eggs

$1.76 Rp 32.0K

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

40.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 Rp 167.2K

$6.22 Rp 112.8K

48.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 Rp 53.5K

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

-6.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.34 Rp 133.1K

$7.48 Rp 135.6K

-1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 Rp 49.4K

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

12.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 Rp 24.4K

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 Rp 44.9K

$1.77 Rp 32.1K

40.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

10.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

-2.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

4.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

17.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 Rp 9,022

$0.39 Rp 6,978

28.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 Rp 50.6K

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

14.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 Rp 381.5K

$21.59 Rp 391.2K

-2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

$2.01 Rp 36.4K

1.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$3.20 Rp 57.9K

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 Rp 2,939

$0.21 Rp 3,845

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.69 Rp 211.8K

$10.00 Rp 181.2K

16.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,944

$0.47 Rp 8,501

4.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,780

$0.36 Rp 6,505

-11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 Rp 59.5K

$3.18 Rp 57.6K

3.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

-8.51%

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

$27.0K Rp 489.2M

$20.3K Rp 368.7M

32.69%

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

$32.7K Rp 592.4M

$30.1K Rp 545.5M

8.59%

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

$107 Rp 1.9M

$68.7 Rp 1.2M

55.82%

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

$5.99 Rp 108.5K

$3.91 Rp 70.8K

53.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.06 Rp 345.4K

$18.11 Rp 328.1K

5.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.34 Rp 350.5K

$20.19 Rp 365.9K

-4.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 Rp 251.8K

$8.73 Rp 158.2K

59.22%

Cinema Ticket

$3.11 Rp 56.3K

$2.88 Rp 52.2K

7.99%

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

$238 Rp 4.3M

$105 Rp 1.9M

127.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,010 Rp 145.1M

$8,060 Rp 146.0M

-0.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

$42.93 Rp 777.9K

33.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.82 Rp 504.2K

$27.03 Rp 489.8K

2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 Rp 1.3M

$84.1 Rp 1.5M

-16.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 Rp 1.9M

$62.7 Rp 1.1M

64.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 Rp 6.4M

$204 Rp 3.7M

74.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 Rp 3.5M

$156 Rp 2.8M

22.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 Rp 20.4M

$495 Rp 9.0M

127.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 Rp 9.9M

$411 Rp 7.4M

32.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,742 Rp 49.7M

$1,207 Rp 21.9M

127.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 Rp 27.3M

$752 Rp 13.6M

100.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 Rp 8.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

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

Last update for Jakarta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Binjai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jakarta

$214 27.7%

Binjai

$194 30.4% 9.5% $20

Accommodation & Living

Jakarta

$191 24.7%

Binjai

$156 24.5% 18.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jakarta

$132 17.1%

Binjai

$91 14.2% 31.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Jakarta

$116 15.1%

Binjai

$98 15.3% 16.2% $19

Eating Out

Jakarta

$79 10.2%

Binjai

$60 9.4% 23.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Jakarta

$26 3.3%

Binjai

$26 4.1% 1.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Jakarta

$14 1.9%

Binjai

$13 2.1% 9.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $355 in Jakarta and $204 in Binjai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Jakarta vs $15 in Binjai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $194 per month, with Binjai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇮🇩 Binjai

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

Same time as Jakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,337,563 Capital

267,901

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jakarta Binjai 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jakarta
Binjai

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 Binjai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binjai is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,159 in Jakarta and $956 in Binjai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $355 in Jakarta versus $204 in Binjai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $772 per month in Jakarta versus $638 in Binjai – Binjai is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Binjai runs roughly 14% less than in Jakarta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Binjai 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 Binjai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Jakarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.