Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $628 a month against $674 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $674 in Surabaya versus $628 in Bandung.

Surabaya $674
Bandung $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Surabaya versus $929 in Bandung.

Surabaya $1,173
Bandung $929

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,672 in Surabaya versus $1,230 in Bandung.

Surabaya $1,672
Bandung $1,230

Living in Surabaya is roughly 7% more expensive than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

14.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

$13.68 Rp 246.2K

-17.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

-2.79%

Cappuccino

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

5.41%

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

$0.55 Rp 9,867

$0.43 Rp 7,689

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,619

$0.24 Rp 4,341

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$3.10 Rp 55.9K

-30.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

$3.06 Rp 55.2K

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

16.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

28.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.85 Rp 15.2K

-2.35%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

-18.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$7.08 Rp 127.4K

9.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

$2.83 Rp 51.0K

8.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$7.77 Rp 139.8K

-0.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

-11.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

$1.06 Rp 19.0K

21.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

29.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

56.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$1.91 Rp 34.5K

-0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

39.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,029

$0.42 Rp 7,573

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

-24.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

$22.34 Rp 402.1K

12.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

$1.89 Rp 34.1K

-7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

$3.24 Rp 58.3K

-12.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 Rp 6,237

$0.29 Rp 5,256

20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.57 Rp 172.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,282

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

-43.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,542

$0.51 Rp 9,203

-17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

16.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

3.53%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

$20.7K Rp 373.4M

18.69%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

$31.6K Rp 569.6M

2.00%

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

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

$33.38 Rp 600.8K

161.59%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

4.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

$19.09 Rp 343.7K

-0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

$18.35 Rp 330.3K

-2.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

11.19%

Cinema Ticket

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$2.73 Rp 49.2K

-3.30%

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

$277 Rp 5.0M

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

202.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

$8,172 Rp 147.1M

14.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$38.74 Rp 697.3K

83.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

$31.83 Rp 572.9K

21.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$76.6 Rp 1.4M

5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 Rp 5.1M

$216 Rp 3.9M

30.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 Rp 2.6M

$180 Rp 3.2M

-19.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

$380 Rp 6.8M

226.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 Rp 10.8M

$265 Rp 4.8M

127.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

$726 Rp 13.1M

197.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

$301 Rp 5.4M

256.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$271 Rp 4.9M

$279 Rp 5.0M

-3.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

11.38

-34.09%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 31%

Bandung

$192 30.6% 8% $17

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$144 21.4%

Bandung

$180 28.6% 24.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.7%

Bandung

$98 15.7% 17.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.5%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 48.8% $54

Eating Out

Surabaya

$63 9.4%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 0.4% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.4%

Bandung

$24 3.8% 2.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Bandung

$14 2.3% 258% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Surabaya and $216 in Bandung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11.00 in Surabaya vs $14.00 in Bandung. Groceries flip the comparison at $209 vs $192, with Bandung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

2,390,120

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Surabaya Bandung 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
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

Surabaya vs Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Surabaya. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Bandung. 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: $282 in Surabaya versus $216 in Bandung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $277 in Surabaya versus $91.7 in Bandung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $11.00 in Surabaya. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bandung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $628 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Surabaya and Bandung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Surabaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.