Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarinda and Surabaya

For one person, living costs are similar in Samarinda and in Surabaya: $647 and $677 a month, rent and utilities included.

31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Samarinda vs $677 in Surabaya, rent included.

Samarinda $647
Surabaya $677

A couple spends around $1,021 per month in Samarinda vs $1,179 in Surabaya, rent included.

Samarinda $1,021
Surabaya $1,179

A family of three spends $1,395 per month in Samarinda vs $1,680 in Surabaya, rent included.

Samarinda $1,395
Surabaya $1,680

Samarinda is about 4% cheaper than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Samarinda and Surabaya are more affordable than the global median – Samarinda 52% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.69 Rp 246.4K

$11.35 Rp 204.3K

20.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

$3.15 Rp 56.6K

6.35%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$1.55 Rp 28.0K

-1.29%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,903

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,499

$0.28 Rp 5,078

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$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)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

-15.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

-35.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

-19.32%

Eggs

$1.40 Rp 25.3K

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 Rp 129.9K

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

-4.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 65.0K

$3.05 Rp 54.8K

18.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 Rp 180.7K

$7.42 Rp 133.6K

35.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 Rp 92.4K

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

147.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

-10.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

-42.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

$1.56 Rp 28.1K

-5.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

-3.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

-15.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,097

$0.40 Rp 7,119

27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

8.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.04 Rp 378.7K

$24.93 Rp 448.7K

-15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

-4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 Rp 45.4K

$2.96 Rp 53.3K

-14.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 Rp 5,403

$0.32 Rp 5,704

-6.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,935

$0.47 Rp 8,459

6.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,183

$0.44 Rp 7,837

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

-1.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

-6.90%

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

$26.8K Rp 482.4M

$24.4K Rp 439.3M

9.81%

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

$31.1K Rp 559.1M

$32.0K Rp 575.4M

-2.82%

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

$67.2 Rp 1.2M

$86.9 Rp 1.6M

-22.65%

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

$4.75 Rp 85.5K

$4.50 Rp 81.0K

5.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.78 Rp 338.0K

$19.07 Rp 343.3K

-1.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.72 Rp 354.9K

$17.84 Rp 321.2K

10.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 Rp 160.9K

$6.64 Rp 119.5K

34.64%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

3.00%

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

$89.9 Rp 1.6M

$281 Rp 5.1M

-68.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,095 Rp 145.7M

$9,385 Rp 168.9M

-13.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.77 Rp 859.9K

$71.6 Rp 1.3M

-33.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.33 Rp 582.0K

$39.15 Rp 704.7K

-17.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

$82.4 Rp 1.5M

-6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

-1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$195 Rp 3.5M

$281 Rp 5.1M

-30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

0.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 Rp 8.8M

$1,218 Rp 21.9M

-59.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$608 Rp 10.9M

-44.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,107 Rp 19.9M

$2,195 Rp 39.5M

-49.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$730 Rp 13.1M

$1,063 Rp 19.1M

-31.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 Rp 6.0M

$272 Rp 4.9M

23.42%

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 Samarinda: 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

Samarinda

$213 32.9%

Surabaya

$208 30.7% 2.5% $5.3

Accommodation & Living

Samarinda

$148 22.8%

Surabaya

$148 21.8% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Samarinda

$104 16.1%

Surabaya

$121 17.8% 16% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samarinda

$91 14%

Surabaya

$111 16.3% 21.7% $20

Eating Out

Samarinda

$63 9.7%

Surabaya

$64 9.5% 1.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Samarinda

$25 3.9%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 8.1% $2

Getting Around

Samarinda

$3.4 * 0.5%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 14.7% $0.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $195 in Samarinda versus $281 in Surabaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Samarinda, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Samarinda versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $208 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

1 h behind Samarinda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

726,223

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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Between locations

Samarinda Surabaya 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Samarinda
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

Samarinda vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $647 in Samarinda, $677 in Surabaya – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Samarinda and $1,016 in Surabaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samarinda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Samarinda and $11.00 in Surabaya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Surabaya – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Samarinda and $677 in Surabaya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Samarinda – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Samarinda. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surabaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.