Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $623 in Bandung, rent and utilities included – about $360 less a year. The total is higher in Bandung despite lower rent and utilities.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Semarang and in Bandung

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Semarang and in Bandung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $593 in Semarang versus $623 in Bandung.

Semarang $593
Bandung $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $938 in Semarang versus $925 in Bandung.

Semarang $938
Bandung $925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,282 in Semarang versus $1,226 in Bandung.

Semarang $1,282
Bandung $1,226

Living in Semarang costs roughly 5% less than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Semarang 56% lower, Bandung 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

-4.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 Rp 191.3K

$13.70 Rp 249.1K

-23.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

$3.22 Rp 58.5K

-5.59%

Cappuccino

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

-13.51%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,808

$0.43 Rp 7,780

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 Rp 2,847

$0.22 Rp 3,994

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$3.10 Rp 56.4K

-47.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

$3.10 Rp 56.4K

4.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

-5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$0.97 Rp 17.6K

-5.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

-8.14%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

-16.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

$6.94 Rp 126.1K

-44.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

$2.92 Rp 53.1K

-20.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

$7.93 Rp 144.1K

-4.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

-11.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

23.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$0.89 Rp 16.2K

65.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

17.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$1.94 Rp 35.2K

-2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

45.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,359

$0.43 Rp 7,815

-6.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

$2.56 Rp 46.6K

-26.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.05 Rp 455.2K

$22.37 Rp 406.6K

11.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$1.89 Rp 34.4K

-13.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$3.15 Rp 57.3K

-38.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,816

$0.27 Rp 4,863

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.93 Rp 253.1K

$12.56 Rp 228.4K

10.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,128

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

-40.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,331

$0.54 Rp 9,737

-46.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

$2.32 Rp 42.2K

15.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

-8.33%

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

$24.5K Rp 446.0M

$20.8K Rp 377.2M

18.23%

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

$32.2K Rp 585.5M

$32.2K Rp 585.8M

-0.05%

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

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

$33.56 Rp 609.9K

156.64%

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

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$4.22 Rp 76.8K

-36.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.96 Rp 344.7K

$19.17 Rp 348.4K

-1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.30 Rp 368.9K

$16.35 Rp 297.2K

24.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 Rp 81.5K

$5.92 Rp 107.7K

-24.16%

Cinema Ticket

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

$2.83 Rp 51.3K

-20.49%

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

$49.33 Rp 896.6K

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

-46.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

$8,239 Rp 149.7M

-74.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 Rp 629.1K

$38.89 Rp 706.7K

-11.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 Rp 532.7K

$31.30 Rp 568.8K

-6.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

$74.7 Rp 1.4M

-24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.07 Rp 691.9K

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

-45.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 Rp 4.1M

$208 Rp 3.8M

8.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 Rp 2.5M

$176 Rp 3.2M

-22.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 Rp 8.7M

$372 Rp 6.8M

28.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.9M

$264 Rp 4.8M

43.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

$706 Rp 12.8M

73.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$833 Rp 15.1M

$298 Rp 5.4M

179.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 Rp 3.4M

$277 Rp 5.0M

-33.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

11.38

-22.50%

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

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Semarang

$184 31%

Bandung

$192 30.8% 4.4% $8.2

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$136 23%

Bandung

$176 28.2% 28.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18.2%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 47.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$71 12%

Bandung

$96 15.5% 35.2% $25

Eating Out

Semarang

$52 8.8%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 20.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Bandung

$22 3.5% 11.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Bandung

$17 2.8% 2.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $226 in Semarang and $208 in Bandung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Semarang vs $14 in Bandung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $192 per month, with Semarang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

Same time as Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

2,390,120

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Semarang Bandung 310 km

From you

Semarang
Bandung

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

Semarang vs Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Semarang wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Bandung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Semarang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Semarang. 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: $226 in Semarang versus $208 in Bandung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Bandung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Semarang – a meal for two runs $11 versus $14 in Bandung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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