Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataram and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataram: $605 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Mataram
Learn more

Mataram Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Mataram

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$605

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $605 in Mataram versus $685 in Surabaya.

Mataram $605
Surabaya $685

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

Mataram $977
Surabaya $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,348 in Mataram versus $1,693 in Surabaya.

Mataram $1,348
Surabaya $1,693

Living in Mataram costs roughly 12% less than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mataram 56% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

-40.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.82 Rp 159.8K

$11.51 Rp 208.6K

-23.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.24 Rp 58.7K

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

4.18%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-0.65%

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

$0.46 Rp 8,344

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

-22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 Rp 5,390

$0.28 Rp 5,116

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 Rp 48.5K

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

$4.20 Rp 76.2K

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 Rp 24.9K

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

17.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

3.70%

Eggs

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

17.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 Rp 146.3K

$7.35 Rp 133.1K

9.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.85 Rp 51.7K

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

-5.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 Rp 135.4K

$7.40 Rp 134.1K

0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.3K

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

-4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

-17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

-15.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

-5.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.4K

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

15.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

-17.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,106

$0.39 Rp 7,100

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 Rp 47.2K

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.31 Rp 386.1K

$24.42 Rp 442.5K

-12.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

$1.72 Rp 31.1K

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 Rp 56.6K

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

5.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,809

$0.27 Rp 4,839

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.53 Rp 209.0K

$16.60 Rp 300.8K

-30.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,897

$0.47 Rp 8,485

4.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,626

$0.45 Rp 8,170

-17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

9.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 Rp 10.2K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

-29.63%

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

$22.9K Rp 415.3M

$24.3K Rp 441.1M

-5.85%

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

$29.7K Rp 538.7M

$31.7K Rp 573.8M

-6.12%

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

$57.9 Rp 1.0M

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

-33.09%

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

$3.75 Rp 67.9K

$4.57 Rp 82.7K

-17.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 Rp 335.6K

$19.49 Rp 353.1K

-4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.47 Rp 334.6K

$15.35 Rp 278.2K

20.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 Rp 134.6K

$6.53 Rp 118.2K

13.78%

Cinema Ticket

$2.73 Rp 49.5K

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

4.20%

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

$98.6 Rp 1.8M

$270 Rp 4.9M

-63.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,614 Rp 156.1M

$9,294 Rp 168.4M

-7.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.36 Rp 731.4K

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

-41.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.06 Rp 508.4K

$38.24 Rp 693.0K

-26.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 Rp 1.4M

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

-4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 Rp 1.3M

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

-6.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 Rp 4.1M

$274 Rp 5.0M

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 Rp 2.4M

$148 Rp 2.7M

-12.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 Rp 9.3M

$1,204 Rp 21.8M

-57.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 Rp 6.7M

$607 Rp 11.0M

-38.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,170 Rp 21.2M

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

-45.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$752 Rp 13.6M

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

-29.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$217 Rp 3.9M

$266 Rp 4.8M

-18.46%

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 Mataram: October 27, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mataram

$202 33.4%

Surabaya

$205 29.8% 1.3% $2.7

Accommodation & Living

Mataram

$130 21.4%

Surabaya

$148 21.5% 13.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Mataram

$96 15.8%

Surabaya

$117 17.1% 22.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mataram

$80 13.2%

Surabaya

$111 16.1% 37.9% $30

Eating Out

Mataram

$59 9.8%

Surabaya

$64 9.4% 8.6% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mataram

$24 4%

Surabaya

$21 3% 13.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Mataram

$15 2.4%

Surabaya

$20 3% 38.8% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $228 in Mataram and $274 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $9 in Mataram vs $12 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $205 per month, with Mataram cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Mataram

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

1 h behind Mataram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

402,843

2,765,487

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mataram Surabaya 400 km

From you

Mataram
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

Mataram vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $605 in Mataram and $685 in Surabaya, so Mataram is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Mataram. 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: $228 in Mataram versus $274 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mataram runs roughly 31% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $605 per month in Mataram versus $685 in Surabaya – Mataram is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Mataram 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 – Mataram wins on affordability, Surabaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.