Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $588 a month against $682 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
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Ambon Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$682

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Ambon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $682 in Surabaya versus $588 in Ambon.

Surabaya $682
Ambon $588

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,188 in Surabaya versus $995 in Ambon.

Surabaya $1,188
Ambon $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Surabaya versus $1,401 in Ambon.

Surabaya $1,694
Ambon $1,401

Living in Surabaya is roughly 16% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Ambon 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.62 Rp 29.3K

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

45.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.34 Rp 205.0K

$14.28 Rp 258.0K

-20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 Rp 49.5K

$3.83 Rp 69.2K

-28.46%

Cappuccino

$1.51 Rp 27.3K

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

1.34%

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

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

$0.46 Rp 8,342

43.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,122

$0.28 Rp 4,980

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.6K

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 Rp 73.7K

$3.46 Rp 62.6K

17.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

16.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

$0.98 Rp 17.6K

32.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

10.13%

Eggs

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

-13.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 Rp 134.7K

$7.18 Rp 129.7K

3.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 Rp 52.5K

$2.85 Rp 51.5K

2.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 Rp 135.0K

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 36.2K

$2.18 Rp 39.4K

-8.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$1.31 Rp 23.6K

-2.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.9K

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 Rp 28.0K

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.4K

$1.90 Rp 34.4K

3.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 Rp 17.1K

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,700

$0.40 Rp 7,176

7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.2K

$2.19 Rp 39.6K

-13.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.59 Rp 444.4K

$20.54 Rp 371.3K

19.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

$1.81 Rp 32.7K

-7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 Rp 50.9K

$2.92 Rp 52.8K

-3.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,306

$0.25 Rp 4,538

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 Rp 302.3K

$11.45 Rp 206.9K

46.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,009

$0.50 Rp 9,119

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,585

$0.29 Rp 5,330

44.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.5K

$2.71 Rp 48.9K

-4.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

8.75%

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

$25.0K Rp 451.7M

$23.7K Rp 428.4M

5.45%

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

$32.1K Rp 580.1M

$35.6K Rp 642.8M

-9.76%

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

$86.4 Rp 1.6M

$55.9 Rp 1.0M

54.48%

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

$4.56 Rp 82.4K

$5.62 Rp 101.6K

-18.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.27 Rp 348.4K

$19.16 Rp 346.3K

0.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.43 Rp 279.0K

$18.90 Rp 341.5K

-18.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.74 Rp 121.8K

$7.07 Rp 127.7K

-4.67%

Cinema Ticket

$2.61 Rp 47.2K

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

85.11%

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

$280 Rp 5.1M

$94.9 Rp 1.7M

195.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,211 Rp 76.1M

$8,975 Rp 162.2M

-53.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 Rp 1.2M

$43.58 Rp 787.6K

58.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 Rp 686.5K

$27.84 Rp 503.2K

36.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$75.7 Rp 1.4M

7.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 Rp 1.3M

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 Rp 4.9M

$211 Rp 3.8M

29.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 Rp 2.6M

$124 Rp 2.2M

16.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 Rp 22.2M

$612 Rp 11.1M

101.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 Rp 11.0M

$420 Rp 7.6M

45.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,179 Rp 39.4M

$1,295 Rp 23.4M

68.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.4M

$756 Rp 13.7M

41.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 Rp 4.6M

$121 Rp 2.2M

108.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

9.45

-20.63%

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

Last update for Surabaya: November 3, 2026

Last update for Ambon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 30.1%

Ambon

$190 32.3% 7.5% $15

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$146 21.4%

Ambon

$124 21.2% 14.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.2%

Ambon

$98 16.7% 16.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$110 16.2%

Ambon

$81 13.7% 26.8% $30

Eating Out

Surabaya

$62 9.1%

Ambon

$59 10.1% 4.6% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Ambon

$22 3.7% 5.1% $1.1

Getting Around

Surabaya

$21 3%

Ambon

$14 2.5% 29.6% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $273 in Surabaya and $211 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Surabaya vs $14 in Ambon. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $190, with Ambon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

23:50 11:50 PM

2 h ahead of Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

275,888

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Surabaya Ambon 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Ambon

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

Surabaya vs Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Surabaya. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Surabaya is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $273 in Surabaya versus $211 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $682 per month in Surabaya versus $588 in Ambon – Ambon is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ambon runs roughly 32% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Ambon 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 – Ambon wins on affordability, Surabaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.