Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palembang and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $612 a month against $682 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$612

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $612 in Palembang versus $682 in Surabaya.

Palembang $612
Surabaya $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $961 in Palembang versus $1,188 in Surabaya.

Palembang $961
Surabaya $1,188

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,310 in Palembang versus $1,694 in Surabaya.

Palembang $1,310
Surabaya $1,694

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

-33.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.64 Rp 284.1K

$11.34 Rp 206.0K

37.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

$2.74 Rp 49.7K

2.19%

Cappuccino

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

-17.88%

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

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,364

$0.28 Rp 5,147

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

-23.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

$4.07 Rp 74.0K

-19.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Rp 19.3K

$1.20 Rp 21.9K

-11.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

-16.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

-6.90%

Eggs

$1.21 Rp 22.0K

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 Rp 131.0K

$7.45 Rp 135.4K

-3.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

$2.91 Rp 52.8K

-1.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 Rp 133.1K

$7.47 Rp 135.6K

-1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 39.1K

$2.00 Rp 36.3K

7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

1.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 Rp 28.7K

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

-13.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

-23.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

-2.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.6K

$1.96 Rp 35.6K

-2.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

-16.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,227

$0.43 Rp 7,737

-6.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

15.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.64 Rp 374.9K

$24.59 Rp 446.5K

-16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

7.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,248

$0.29 Rp 5,331

37.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 Rp 208.2K

$16.73 Rp 303.8K

-31.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,692

$0.50 Rp 9,052

6.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,762

$0.42 Rp 7,622

-23.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.1K

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

8.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$0.87 Rp 15.8K

-1.15%

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

$22.8K Rp 413.3M

$25.0K Rp 453.9M

-8.93%

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

$32.4K Rp 587.9M

$32.1K Rp 582.8M

0.86%

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

$63.4 Rp 1.2M

$86.4 Rp 1.6M

-26.56%

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

$4.33 Rp 78.6K

$4.56 Rp 82.7K

-5.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.77 Rp 340.9K

$19.27 Rp 350.0K

-2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.37 Rp 333.6K

$15.43 Rp 280.3K

19.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.15 Rp 148.0K

$6.74 Rp 122.4K

20.92%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 Rp 51.4K

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

8.43%

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

$94.4 Rp 1.7M

$280 Rp 5.1M

-66.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,086 Rp 146.9M

$4,211 Rp 76.5M

92.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.62 Rp 792.1K

$69.0 Rp 1.3M

-36.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.51 Rp 517.7K

$37.98 Rp 689.7K

-24.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

-7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 Rp 1.3M

$72.3 Rp 1.3M

-4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 Rp 4.1M

$273 Rp 5.0M

-18.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$146 Rp 2.6M

1.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 Rp 10.2M

$1,230 Rp 22.3M

-54.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 Rp 6.6M

$611 Rp 11.1M

-40.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 Rp 20.8M

$2,179 Rp 39.6M

-47.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$778 Rp 14.1M

$1,072 Rp 19.5M

-27.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 Rp 5.6M

$253 Rp 4.6M

21.12%

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 Palembang: November 2, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palembang

$190 31.1%

Surabaya

$205 30.1% 7.8% $15

Accommodation & Living

Palembang

$148 24.2%

Surabaya

$146 21.4% 1.6% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Palembang

$97 15.9%

Surabaya

$117 17.2% 20.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palembang

$87 14.1%

Surabaya

$110 16.2% 27.4% $24

Eating Out

Palembang

$51 8.3%

Surabaya

$62 9.1% 21.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Palembang

$24 3.9%

Surabaya

$21 3% 14% $3.4

Getting Around

Palembang

$15 2.5%

Surabaya

$21 3% 35% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $225 in Palembang and $273 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palembang pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Palembang vs $11 in Surabaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $190 vs $205, with Palembang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Palembang

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

Same time as Palembang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,708,413

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Palembang Surabaya 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Palembang
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

Palembang vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palembang is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Palembang, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $225 in Palembang versus $273 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $612 per month in Palembang versus $682 in Surabaya – Palembang is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Palembang runs roughly 33% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Palembang 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.