Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Jakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $772 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Semarang and in Jakarta

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 Jakarta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $593 per month in Semarang vs $772 in Jakarta, rent included.

Semarang $593
Jakarta $772

A couple spends around $938 per month in Semarang vs $1,257 in Jakarta, rent included.

Semarang $938
Jakarta $1,257

A family of three spends $1,282 per month in Semarang vs $1,741 in Jakarta, rent included.

Semarang $1,282
Jakarta $1,741

Semarang is about 23% cheaper than Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Semarang and Jakarta are more affordable than the global median – Semarang 56% lower, Jakarta 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

-50.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 Rp 191.3K

$16.34 Rp 296.9K

-35.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

$3.24 Rp 58.9K

-6.17%

Cappuccino

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

-36.63%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,808

$0.41 Rp 7,490

4.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 Rp 2,847

$0.26 Rp 4,730

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$2.49 Rp 45.3K

-34.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

$3.89 Rp 70.8K

-16.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

-14.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

-5.95%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.76 Rp 32.1K

-32.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

$9.22 Rp 167.7K

-58.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

$2.95 Rp 53.7K

-21.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

$7.34 Rp 133.5K

2.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

-28.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.35 Rp 24.5K

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

$2.48 Rp 45.1K

-27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

6.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

-6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

-7.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

-2.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,359

$0.50 Rp 9,049

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

$2.79 Rp 50.7K

-32.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.05 Rp 455.2K

$21.05 Rp 382.6K

19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$2.03 Rp 36.9K

-19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-34.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,816

$0.16 Rp 2,948

31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.93 Rp 253.1K

$11.69 Rp 212.5K

19.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,128

$0.49 Rp 8,972

2.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,331

$0.32 Rp 5,797

-9.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

$3.28 Rp 59.7K

-17.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

-10.47%

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

$24.5K Rp 446.0M

$27.0K Rp 490.6M

-9.10%

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

$32.2K Rp 585.5M

$32.7K Rp 594.2M

-1.46%

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

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

$107 Rp 1.9M

-19.52%

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

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$5.99 Rp 108.8K

-55.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.96 Rp 344.7K

$19.06 Rp 346.4K

-0.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.30 Rp 368.9K

$19.34 Rp 351.6K

4.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 Rp 81.5K

$13.90 Rp 252.6K

-67.70%

Cinema Ticket

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

$3.11 Rp 56.5K

-27.65%

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

$49.33 Rp 896.6K

$238 Rp 4.3M

-79.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

$8,010 Rp 145.6M

-74.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 Rp 629.1K

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

-39.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 Rp 532.7K

$27.82 Rp 505.7K

5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

$70.5 Rp 1.3M

-19.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.07 Rp 691.9K

$103 Rp 1.9M

-63.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 Rp 4.1M

$355 Rp 6.4M

-36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 Rp 2.5M

$191 Rp 3.5M

-28.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 Rp 8.7M

$1,123 Rp 20.4M

-57.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.9M

$544 Rp 9.9M

-30.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

$2,742 Rp 49.8M

-55.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$833 Rp 15.1M

$1,506 Rp 27.4M

-44.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 Rp 3.4M

$441 Rp 8.0M

-57.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

9.46

-6.77%

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

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Semarang

$184 31%

Jakarta

$214 27.7% 16.5% $30

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$136 23%

Jakarta

$191 24.7% 40.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18.2%

Jakarta

$132 17.1% 22.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$71 12%

Jakarta

$116 15.1% 63.3% $45

Eating Out

Semarang

$52 8.8%

Jakarta

$79 10.2% 50.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Jakarta

$26 3.3% 3.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Jakarta

$14 1.9% 13.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Semarang versus $355 in Jakarta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jakarta are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Semarang versus $16 in Jakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $214 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

Same time as Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

11,337,563 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Semarang Jakarta 410 km

From you

Semarang
Jakarta

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 Jakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta costs about 30% more than Semarang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $890 per month in Semarang and $1,159 in Jakarta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semarang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $355 in Jakarta.

Kindergarten costs $49 per month in Semarang and $238 in Jakarta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Jakarta, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $593 in Semarang and $772 in Jakarta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Semarang – 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 Semarang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jakarta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.