Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pekanbaru and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $677 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
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Pekanbaru Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $628 in Pekanbaru versus $677 in Surabaya.

Pekanbaru $628
Surabaya $677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $983 in Pekanbaru versus $1,179 in Surabaya.

Pekanbaru $983
Surabaya $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,339 in Pekanbaru versus $1,680 in Surabaya.

Pekanbaru $1,339
Surabaya $1,680

Living in Pekanbaru costs roughly 7% less than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pekanbaru 53% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

-15.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

$11.35 Rp 204.3K

-27.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$3.15 Rp 56.6K

-23.49%

Cappuccino

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$1.55 Rp 28.0K

-16.13%

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

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 Rp 5,954

$0.28 Rp 5,078

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

$2.17 Rp 39.0K

-4.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$4.12 Rp 74.2K

-16.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

-10.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

1.14%

Eggs

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

-3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

$3.05 Rp 54.8K

-22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

$7.42 Rp 133.6K

-12.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

29.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

37.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

28.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.56 Rp 28.1K

-18.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

-9.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

-3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

-15.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 Rp 6,350

$0.40 Rp 7,119

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

13.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

$24.93 Rp 448.7K

-13.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

13.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

$2.96 Rp 53.3K

1.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,230

$0.32 Rp 5,704

-9.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$0.47 Rp 8,459

95.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 Rp 7,154

$0.44 Rp 7,837

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

-1.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

-12.64%

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

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

$24.4K Rp 439.3M

-4.64%

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

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

$32.0K Rp 575.4M

-18.56%

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

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

$86.9 Rp 1.6M

-28.59%

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

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

$4.50 Rp 81.0K

33.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

$19.07 Rp 343.3K

24.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

$17.84 Rp 321.2K

58.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

$6.64 Rp 119.5K

25.15%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

13.48%

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

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

$281 Rp 5.1M

-65.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

$9,385 Rp 168.9M

-17.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

$71.6 Rp 1.3M

-55.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

$39.15 Rp 704.7K

-27.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

$82.4 Rp 1.5M

-33.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

7.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 Rp 4.7M

$281 Rp 5.1M

-6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 Rp 2.6M

$148 Rp 2.7M

-1.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 Rp 9.7M

$1,218 Rp 21.9M

-55.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 Rp 6.4M

$608 Rp 10.9M

-41.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

$2,195 Rp 39.5M

-51.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$807 Rp 14.5M

$1,063 Rp 19.1M

-24.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$272 Rp 4.9M

-35.37%

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 Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pekanbaru

$201 32%

Surabaya

$208 30.7% 3.4% $6.8

Accommodation & Living

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1%

Surabaya

$148 21.8% 1.9% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6%

Surabaya

$111 16.3% 20.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Pekanbaru

$88 14%

Surabaya

$121 17.8% 36.9% $33

Eating Out

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8%

Surabaya

$64 9.5% 16.2% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 32.6% $11

Getting Around

Pekanbaru

$13 2%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 68.8% $8.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $262 in Pekanbaru and $281 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 55% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $8.00 in Pekanbaru vs $11.00 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $208 per month, with Pekanbaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

Same time as Pekanbaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,020,308

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pekanbaru Surabaya 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pekanbaru
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

Pekanbaru vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pekanbaru is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Surabaya. 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: $262 in Pekanbaru versus $281 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $96.0 in Pekanbaru versus $281 in Surabaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pekanbaru – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $11.00 in Surabaya. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Expats usually find Pekanbaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Surabaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.