Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Padang and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $613 a month against $682 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
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Padang Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $613 in Padang versus $682 in Surabaya.

Padang $613
Surabaya $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,020 in Padang versus $1,188 in Surabaya.

Padang $1,020
Surabaya $1,188

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,426 in Padang versus $1,694 in Surabaya.

Padang $1,426
Surabaya $1,694

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

2.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.67 Rp 284.5K

$11.34 Rp 205.9K

38.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.26 Rp 59.3K

$2.74 Rp 49.7K

18.98%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

2.65%

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

$0.48 Rp 8,793

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,295

$0.28 Rp 5,145

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 Rp 44.7K

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

12.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 Rp 70.2K

$4.07 Rp 74.0K

-4.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Rp 21.1K

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 Rp 22.2K

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

-6.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

9.20%

Eggs

$1.45 Rp 26.3K

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 Rp 144.2K

$7.45 Rp 135.3K

6.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.60 Rp 47.2K

$2.91 Rp 52.8K

-10.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.39 Rp 152.4K

$7.47 Rp 135.6K

12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.4K

$2.00 Rp 36.3K

0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

-2.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

-9.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 Rp 20.9K

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

-25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 22.2K

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

-5.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 Rp 37.4K

$1.96 Rp 35.6K

5.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 Rp 13.1K

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

-24.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,186

$0.43 Rp 7,735

-6.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

43.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.59 Rp 319.3K

$24.59 Rp 446.4K

-28.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 Rp 36.6K

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

19.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 Rp 5,001

$0.29 Rp 5,330

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.91 Rp 216.2K

$16.73 Rp 303.7K

-28.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,984

$0.50 Rp 9,049

-2.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 Rp 5,167

$0.42 Rp 7,619

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 Rp 55.5K

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

18.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.8K

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

$22.1K Rp 401.7M

$25.0K Rp 453.7M

-11.46%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.1M

$32.1K Rp 582.7M

-2.15%

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

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

$86.4 Rp 1.6M

-25.39%

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

$4.68 Rp 85.0K

$4.56 Rp 82.7K

2.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.24 Rp 385.6K

$19.27 Rp 349.9K

10.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.59 Rp 301.1K

$15.43 Rp 280.2K

7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.09 Rp 128.7K

$6.74 Rp 122.4K

5.19%

Cinema Ticket

$2.67 Rp 48.5K

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

2.30%

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

$90.6 Rp 1.6M

$280 Rp 5.1M

-67.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,200 Rp 167.0M

$4,211 Rp 76.4M

118.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.90 Rp 778.8K

$69.0 Rp 1.3M

-37.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.29 Rp 568.1K

$37.98 Rp 689.5K

-17.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 Rp 1.2M

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

-18.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

$72.3 Rp 1.3M

-10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$273 Rp 5.0M

-21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 Rp 2.5M

$146 Rp 2.6M

-5.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$1,230 Rp 22.3M

-50.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 Rp 7.6M

$611 Rp 11.1M

-31.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,143 Rp 20.7M

$2,179 Rp 39.6M

-47.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 Rp 12.5M

$1,072 Rp 19.5M

-35.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$253 Rp 4.6M

-34.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

7.5

26.00%

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

Last update for Padang: November 1, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Padang

$192 31.2%

Surabaya

$205 30.1% 7.1% $14

Accommodation & Living

Padang

$138 22.5%

Surabaya

$146 21.4% 5.7% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Padang

$92 15%

Surabaya

$117 17.2% 27.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Padang

$90 14.7%

Surabaya

$110 16.2% 22% $20

Eating Out

Padang

$65 10.5%

Surabaya

$62 9.1% 3.8% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Padang

$22 3.6%

Surabaya

$21 3% 5.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Padang

$15 2.4%

Surabaya

$21 3% 37.3% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Padang and $273 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Padang vs $11 in Surabaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $205, with Padang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Padang

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

Same time as Padang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,096

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Padang Surabaya 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Padang
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

Padang vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Padang wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Surabaya. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Padang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Padang. 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 Padang versus $273 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Padang runs roughly 29% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $91 in Padang versus $280 in Surabaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Padang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Padang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Surabaya, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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