Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibolga and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibolga: $632 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sibolga
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Sibolga Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$632

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $632 in Sibolga versus $685 in Surabaya.

Sibolga $632
Surabaya $685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in Sibolga versus $1,189 in Surabaya.

Sibolga $1,015
Surabaya $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,397 in Sibolga versus $1,693 in Surabaya.

Sibolga $1,397
Surabaya $1,693

Living in Sibolga costs roughly 8% less than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sibolga 54% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.43 Rp 26.0K

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

-14.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.92 Rp 216.7K

$11.51 Rp 209.2K

3.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.41 Rp 62.0K

$3.11 Rp 56.5K

9.65%

Cappuccino

$1.69 Rp 30.8K

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

9.74%

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

$0.42 Rp 7,625

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

-28.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 Rp 3,807

$0.28 Rp 5,132

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 Rp 36.3K

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-10.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 Rp 59.2K

$4.20 Rp 76.4K

-22.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 Rp 23.8K

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

4.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 Rp 17.5K

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

-23.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

13.58%

Eggs

$1.56 Rp 28.3K

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

32.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 Rp 143.9K

$7.35 Rp 133.5K

7.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 Rp 45.8K

$3.02 Rp 55.0K

-16.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.57 Rp 155.8K

$7.40 Rp 134.5K

15.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 Rp 44.7K

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

20.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 Rp 26.0K

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

15.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

$1.86 Rp 33.9K

-20.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 Rp 20.6K

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

-22.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

-8.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.4K

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

-5.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 Rp 12.9K

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

-26.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,256

$0.39 Rp 7,121

2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 Rp 55.0K

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

54.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.27 Rp 386.6K

$24.42 Rp 443.9K

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

-3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 Rp 60.2K

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

11.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 Rp 5,004

$0.27 Rp 4,854

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.91 Rp 234.6K

$16.60 Rp 301.7K

-22.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,706

$0.47 Rp 8,511

12.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,806

$0.45 Rp 8,195

-17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 Rp 48.0K

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

3.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.4K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

11.11%

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

$20.4K Rp 370.4M

$24.3K Rp 442.5M

-16.29%

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

$32.3K Rp 586.5M

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

1.91%

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

$60.5 Rp 1.1M

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

-30.14%

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

$4.90 Rp 89.0K

$4.57 Rp 83.0K

7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.04 Rp 309.6K

$19.49 Rp 354.1K

-12.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.72 Rp 322.1K

$15.35 Rp 279.0K

15.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 Rp 145.0K

$6.53 Rp 118.6K

22.21%

Cinema Ticket

$2.58 Rp 46.9K

$2.62 Rp 47.7K

-1.53%

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

$100 Rp 1.8M

$270 Rp 4.9M

-62.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,753 Rp 159.1M

$9,294 Rp 168.9M

-5.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.65 Rp 684.3K

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

-45.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.73 Rp 449.5K

$38.24 Rp 695.1K

-35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 Rp 1.5M

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

-0.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 Rp 3.6M

$274 Rp 5.0M

-27.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 Rp 2.7M

$148 Rp 2.7M

1.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 Rp 9.3M

$1,204 Rp 21.9M

-57.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 Rp 7.0M

$607 Rp 11.0M

-36.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,209 Rp 22.0M

$2,146 Rp 39.0M

-43.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$853 Rp 15.5M

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

-19.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

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 Sibolga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sibolga

$199 31.6%

Surabaya

$205 29.8% 2.5% $5.1

Accommodation & Living

Sibolga

$150 23.8%

Surabaya

$148 21.5% 1.8% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sibolga

$100 15.8%

Surabaya

$117 17.1% 17.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibolga

$82 13%

Surabaya

$111 16.1% 34.2% $28

Eating Out

Sibolga

$61 9.7%

Surabaya

$64 9.4% 5.2% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sibolga

$23 3.6%

Surabaya

$21 3% 10% $2.3

Getting Around

Sibolga

$16 2.6%

Surabaya

$20 3% 24.2% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $200 in Sibolga and $274 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Sibolga vs $12 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $205 per month, with Sibolga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

Same time as Sibolga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,471

2,765,487

💱 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

Sibolga Surabaya 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sibolga
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

Sibolga vs Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $632 in Sibolga and $685 in Surabaya, so Sibolga is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $948 in Sibolga and $1,028 in Surabaya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $200 in Sibolga versus $274 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $100 in Sibolga versus $270 in Surabaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $632 per month in Sibolga versus $685 in Surabaya – Sibolga is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sibolga 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.