Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Surabaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Surabaya

🙂 Solo nomad: Medan is 17% cheaper than Surabaya without rent, and 7.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Medan is 7.5% more expensive than Surabaya without rent, and 12.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.86 Rp 31.4K
$1.56 Rp 26.3K
19.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.71 Rp 180.9K
$12.08 Rp 204.0K
-11.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.17 Rp 53.6K
$3.15 Rp 53.2K
0.63%
Cappuccino
$1.80 Rp 30.4K
$1.81 Rp 30.5K
-0.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 6,677
$0.66 Rp 11.1K
-39.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 Rp 4,597
$0.28 Rp 4,736
-3.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 Rp 25.4K
$2.47 Rp 41.8K
-38.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.37 Rp 90.7K
$4.10 Rp 69.2K
30.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 Rp 20.1K
$1.37 Rp 23.1K
-13.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.17 Rp 19.8K
$1.47 Rp 24.8K
-20.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
$0.92 Rp 15.6K
-5.43%
Eggs
$1.50 Rp 25.4K
$1.45 Rp 24.4K
3.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.36 Rp 158.1K
$9.30 Rp 157.0K
0.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 Rp 66.1K
$3.18 Rp 53.7K
22.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.83 Rp 115.3K
$8.10 Rp 136.8K
-15.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 Rp 38.6K
$2.36 Rp 39.9K
-3.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 Rp 17.0K
$1.56 Rp 26.3K
-35.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 24.6K
$2.17 Rp 36.6K
-32.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.93 Rp 15.7K
$1.50 Rp 25.4K
-38.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 Rp 12.4K
$1.32 Rp 22.2K
-44.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 Rp 21.2K
$1.78 Rp 30.1K
-29.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 Rp 7,258
$1.20 Rp 20.3K
-64.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.47 Rp 7,905
$0.46 Rp 7,689
2.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.41 Rp 40.7K
$2.52 Rp 42.6K
-4.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.79 Rp 283.5K
$26.15 Rp 441.5K
-35.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 Rp 22.5K
$1.86 Rp 31.4K
-27.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 Rp 54.3K
$3.30 Rp 55.8K
-2.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 Rp 4,986
$0.44 Rp 7,388
-31.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.11 Rp 170.7K
$9.39 Rp 158.6K
7.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.53 Rp 8,924
$0.47 Rp 7,949
12.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 Rp 3,372
$0.31 Rp 5,262
-35.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.01 Rp 101.5K
$2.68 Rp 45.3K
124.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
$0.86 Rp 14.5K
1.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K Rp 467.8M
$21.0K Rp 354.2M
32.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K Rp 580.5M
$35.8K Rp 604.7M
-3.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.2 Rp 1.4M
$82.9 Rp 1.4M
-0.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.53 Rp 59.6K
$4.32 Rp 72.9K
-18.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.29 Rp 562.2K
$19.81 Rp 334.5K
68.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.70 Rp 400.2K
$22.00 Rp 371.5K
7.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.15 Rp 120.7K
$4.56 Rp 77.0K
56.80%
Cinema Ticket
$3.44 Rp 58.1K
$2.90 Rp 49.0K
18.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 Rp 2.1M
$187 Rp 3.2M
-32.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K Rp 180.1M
$9,374 Rp 158.3M
13.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 Rp 1.1M
$62.8 Rp 1.1M
6.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.45 Rp 716.8K
$38.22 Rp 645.3K
11.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 Rp 2.0M
$76.7 Rp 1.3M
53.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.3 Rp 1.1M
$82.5 Rp 1.4M
-22.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$195 Rp 3.3M
$249 Rp 4.2M
-21.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$99.1 Rp 1.7M
$135 Rp 2.3M
-26.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$529 Rp 8.9M
$782 Rp 13.2M
-32.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$229 Rp 3.9M
$394 Rp 6.7M
-41.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,233 Rp 20.8M
$2,312 Rp 39.0M
-46.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$599 Rp 10.1M
$1,134 Rp 19.1M
-47.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medan
Surabaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$233 Rp 3.9M
$300 Rp 5.1M
-22.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.25
8.33
11.04%

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

Last update for Medan: March 1, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities