Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jambi and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Jambi: $614 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Jambi
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Jambi Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Jambi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$614

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $614 in Jambi versus $685 in Surabaya.

Jambi $614
Surabaya $685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $977 in Jambi versus $1,189 in Surabaya.

Jambi $977
Surabaya $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,340 in Jambi versus $1,693 in Surabaya.

Jambi $1,340
Surabaya $1,693

Living in Jambi costs roughly 10% less than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jambi 55% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.50 Rp 27.2K

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

-10.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.18 Rp 221.0K

$11.51 Rp 208.9K

5.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

-9.32%

Cappuccino

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-14.29%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,726

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

-27.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 Rp 3,132

$0.28 Rp 5,123

-39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 Rp 38.4K

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-5.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$4.20 Rp 76.3K

-16.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

-5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

-18.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

6.17%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

24.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 Rp 146.7K

$7.35 Rp 133.3K

9.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$3.02 Rp 54.9K

-9.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 Rp 132.7K

$7.40 Rp 134.3K

-1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.5K

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

-15.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

-19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

-10.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

4.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 Rp 16.0K

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,797

$0.39 Rp 7,109

10.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

36.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.44 Rp 407.1K

$24.42 Rp 443.1K

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Rp 52.0K

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

-3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,705

$0.27 Rp 4,846

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.33 Rp 205.6K

$16.60 Rp 301.2K

-31.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,984

$0.47 Rp 8,497

6.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 Rp 5,593

$0.45 Rp 8,181

-31.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

17.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 Rp 18.4K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

25.93%

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

$23.0K Rp 416.6M

$24.3K Rp 441.7M

-5.69%

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

$36.3K Rp 658.0M

$31.7K Rp 574.6M

14.52%

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

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

-14.97%

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

$3.81 Rp 69.2K

$4.57 Rp 82.8K

-16.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.48 Rp 317.2K

$19.49 Rp 353.6K

-10.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.36 Rp 278.8K

$15.35 Rp 278.5K

0.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.55 Rp 155.2K

$6.53 Rp 118.4K

30.93%

Cinema Ticket

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

3.44%

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

$86.2 Rp 1.6M

$270 Rp 4.9M

-68.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,342 Rp 151.4M

$9,294 Rp 168.6M

-10.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.73 Rp 775.3K

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

-38.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.73 Rp 575.7K

$38.24 Rp 693.9K

-17.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

-8.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 Rp 1.2M

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

-10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$274 Rp 5.0M

-21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 Rp 2.4M

$148 Rp 2.7M

-9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 Rp 10.3M

$1,204 Rp 21.9M

-52.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 Rp 6.3M

$607 Rp 11.0M

-42.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,148 Rp 20.8M

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

-46.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$759 Rp 13.8M

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

-28.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 Rp 3.6M

$266 Rp 4.8M

-25.26%

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 Jambi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jambi

$198 32.3%

Surabaya

$205 29.8% 3.1% $6.2

Accommodation & Living

Jambi

$134 21.7%

Surabaya

$148 21.5% 10.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Jambi

$96 15.6%

Surabaya

$117 17.1% 22.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jambi

$95 15.5%

Surabaya

$111 16.1% 16.6% $16

Eating Out

Jambi

$56 9.2%

Surabaya

$64 9.4% 14% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Jambi

$21 3.4%

Surabaya

$21 3% 0.9% $0.2

Getting Around

Jambi

$14 2.3%

Surabaya

$20 3% 41.6% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Jambi and $274 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Jambi vs $12 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $205 per month, with Jambi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jambi

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

Same time as Jambi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,857

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jambi Surabaya 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Jambi
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

Jambi vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jambi and Surabaya differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($614 vs $685 including rent). Jambi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Jambi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $215 in Jambi versus $274 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Surabaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $614 per month in Jambi versus $685 in Surabaya – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Jambi 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.

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