Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jakarta and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $677 a month against $795 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$795

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $795 per month in Jakarta vs $677 in Surabaya, rent included.

Jakarta $795
Surabaya $677

A couple spends around $1,295 per month in Jakarta vs $1,179 in Surabaya, rent included.

Jakarta $1,295
Surabaya $1,179

A family of three spends $1,794 per month in Jakarta vs $1,680 in Surabaya, rent included.

Jakarta $1,794
Surabaya $1,680

Jakarta costs about 17% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jakarta and Surabaya are more affordable than the global median – Jakarta 41% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.2K

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

62.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.90 Rp 304.2K

$11.35 Rp 204.3K

48.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

$3.15 Rp 56.6K

6.03%

Cappuccino

$1.99 Rp 35.9K

$1.55 Rp 28.0K

28.39%

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

$0.45 Rp 8,112

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,704

$0.28 Rp 5,078

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 Rp 46.5K

$2.17 Rp 39.0K

19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 Rp 72.4K

$4.12 Rp 74.2K

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

-14.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

2.27%

Eggs

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

48.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 Rp 166.6K

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

22.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 Rp 56.2K

$3.05 Rp 54.8K

2.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 Rp 139.2K

$7.42 Rp 133.6K

4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

35.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

38.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

$1.56 Rp 28.1K

-12.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

-2.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

8.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

6.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,231

$0.40 Rp 7,119

27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

44.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 Rp 378.9K

$24.93 Rp 448.7K

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 Rp 37.6K

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

24.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 Rp 54.5K

$2.96 Rp 53.3K

2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,247

$0.32 Rp 5,704

-9.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.58 Rp 208.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,581

$0.47 Rp 8,459

12.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,756

$0.44 Rp 7,837

-27.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 Rp 58.8K

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

20.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

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

$28.3K Rp 508.6M

$24.4K Rp 439.3M

15.78%

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

$33.7K Rp 606.7M

$32.0K Rp 575.4M

5.45%

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

$106 Rp 1.9M

$86.9 Rp 1.6M

22.02%

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

$6.00 Rp 107.9K

$4.50 Rp 81.0K

33.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.67 Rp 336.1K

$19.07 Rp 343.3K

-2.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.84 Rp 465.2K

$17.84 Rp 321.2K

44.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 Rp 261.7K

$6.64 Rp 119.5K

118.98%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.2K

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

23.22%

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

$150 Rp 2.7M

$281 Rp 5.1M

-46.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,322 Rp 149.8M

$9,385 Rp 168.9M

-11.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 Rp 1.0M

$71.6 Rp 1.3M

-19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 Rp 508.5K

$39.15 Rp 704.7K

-27.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 Rp 1.3M

$82.4 Rp 1.5M

-11.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 Rp 1.9M

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

39.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$281 Rp 5.1M

28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 Rp 3.6M

$148 Rp 2.7M

35.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 Rp 20.5M

$1,218 Rp 21.9M

-6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 Rp 10.2M

$608 Rp 10.9M

-7.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,985 Rp 53.7M

$2,195 Rp 39.5M

35.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,458 Rp 26.3M

$1,063 Rp 19.1M

37.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 Rp 8.1M

$272 Rp 4.9M

65.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

7.5

26.13%

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

Last update for Jakarta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jakarta

$218 27.5%

Surabaya

$208 30.7% 4.9% $11

Accommodation & Living

Jakarta

$200 25.2%

Surabaya

$148 21.8% 26.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jakarta

$131 16.5%

Surabaya

$111 16.3% 15.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Jakarta

$118 14.9%

Surabaya

$121 17.8% 1.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Jakarta

$80 10%

Surabaya

$64 9.5% 19.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Jakarta

$32 4.1%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 28.5% $9.2

Getting Around

Jakarta

$15 1.9%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 73.7% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Jakarta versus $281 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 65% higher in Jakarta, 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 $17.00 in Jakarta versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $208 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

Same time as Jakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,337,563 Capital

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

On the map

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Between locations

Jakarta Surabaya 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jakarta
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

Jakarta vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta costs about 17% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,192 per month in Jakarta and $1,016 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 $17.00 in Jakarta 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 5% more in Jakarta, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $795 in Jakarta and $677 in Surabaya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surabaya costs $677 versus $795 in Jakarta. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Surabaya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jakarta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.