Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $1,229 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Bali

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

A single person spends $674 per month in Surabaya vs $1,236 in Bali, rent included.

Surabaya $674
Bali $1,236

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Surabaya vs $2,086 in Bali, rent included.

Surabaya $1,173
Bali $2,086

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Surabaya vs $2,937 in Bali, rent included.

Surabaya $1,672
Bali $2,937

Surabaya is about 45% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Surabaya and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 50% lower, Bali 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

-40.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

$29.09 Rp 523.7K

-61.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

$4.66 Rp 83.9K

-32.62%

Cappuccino

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

$2.31 Rp 41.5K

-32.47%

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

$0.55 Rp 9,867

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

-61.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,619

$0.64 Rp 11.4K

-59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

$3.61 Rp 64.9K

14.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

-12.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

$2.11 Rp 38.0K

-39.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

-27.83%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

-39.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$16.38 Rp 294.8K

-52.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

$3.60 Rp 64.7K

-14.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$11.70 Rp 210.6K

-33.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$3.48 Rp 62.7K

-41.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

-11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

-14.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

-21.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

-20.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

-13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

$1.00 Rp 17.9K

-11.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,029

$0.51 Rp 9,256

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

-4.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

$21.20 Rp 381.6K

18.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

$2.18 Rp 39.2K

-20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

$2.88 Rp 51.9K

-1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 Rp 6,237

$0.23 Rp 4,137

52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.27 Rp 148.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,282

$0.45 Rp 8,030

2.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,542

$0.47 Rp 8,471

-10.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

$5.42 Rp 97.6K

-52.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

6.02%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

$24.0K Rp 431.7M

2.65%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

$31.9K Rp 573.5M

1.31%

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

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

9.95%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

$6.46 Rp 116.3K

-29.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

$18.69 Rp 336.4K

1.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

$45.96 Rp 827.2K

-61.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

$14.87 Rp 267.7K

-55.21%

Cinema Ticket

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$3.67 Rp 66.1K

-28.07%

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

$277 Rp 5.0M

$443 Rp 8.0M

-37.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

$5,164 Rp 93.0M

80.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$43.58 Rp 784.5K

62.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

$32.98 Rp 593.7K

16.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 Rp 5.1M

$975 Rp 17.5M

-71.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 Rp 2.6M

$593 Rp 10.7M

-75.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

$3,065 Rp 55.2M

-59.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 Rp 10.8M

$1,463 Rp 26.3M

-58.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

$2,391 Rp 43.0M

-9.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

$1,945 Rp 35.0M

-44.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$271 Rp 4.9M

$216 Rp 3.9M

25.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

13.78

-45.57%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 31%

Bali

$273 22.3% 31% $65

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$144 21.4%

Bali

$593 48.3% 311% $449

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.7%

Bali

$102 8.3% 14.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.5%

Bali

$105 8.5% 5.7% $6.4

Eating Out

Surabaya

$63 9.4%

Bali

$90 7.3% 42.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.4%

Bali

$53 4.3% 130% $30

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Bali

$12 1% 204% $8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Surabaya versus $996 in Bali. 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 Surabaya, 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 $11.00 in Surabaya versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $277 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

1 h ahead of Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

Surabaya Bali 310 km

From you

Surabaya
Bali

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 Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 83% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,011 per month in Surabaya and $1,854 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $674 in Surabaya and $1,236 in Bali. That's a gap of about 83%.

Kindergarten costs $277 per month in Surabaya and $445 in Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Bali at $1,236. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surabaya costs $674 versus $1,236 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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