Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Batam

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $586 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Batam
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Batam Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Batam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $685 in Surabaya versus $586 in Batam.

Surabaya $685
Batam $586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Surabaya versus $984 in Batam.

Surabaya $1,189
Batam $984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Surabaya versus $1,382 in Batam.

Surabaya $1,693
Batam $1,382

Living in Surabaya is roughly 17% more expensive than in Batam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Batam 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

-13.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 208.6K

$8.07 Rp 146.3K

42.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

$3.90 Rp 70.7K

-20.26%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.05 Rp 37.1K

-24.88%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

-3.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,116

$0.30 Rp 5,449

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.47 Rp 44.7K

-9.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.2K

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

14.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$1.12 Rp 20.3K

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

14.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

-3.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.1K

$7.45 Rp 135.0K

-1.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$2.47 Rp 44.8K

22.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.1K

$4.31 Rp 78.1K

71.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.17 Rp 39.2K

-5.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

$2.00 Rp 36.2K

-38.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-5.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

42.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

41.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

-4.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

-25.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,100

$0.44 Rp 8,036

-11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

-28.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 442.5K

$13.78 Rp 249.8K

77.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.1K

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

2.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$2.33 Rp 42.3K

27.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,839

$0.41 Rp 7,419

-34.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 300.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,485

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

-58.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,170

$0.58 Rp 10.6K

-22.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

$3.42 Rp 62.0K

-25.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

-3.57%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.1M

$27.6K Rp 499.6M

-11.70%

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

$31.7K Rp 573.8M

$24.6K Rp 445.8M

28.72%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

27.65%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.7K

$4.09 Rp 74.2K

11.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.1K

$22.58 Rp 409.2K

-13.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.2K

$27.03 Rp 489.9K

-43.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.2K

$5.66 Rp 102.5K

15.37%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$2.66 Rp 48.3K

-1.50%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

225.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.4M

$3,186 Rp 57.7M

191.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$31.46 Rp 570.0K

119.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 693.0K

$17.99 Rp 326.0K

112.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

22.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$23.72 Rp 429.9K

214.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$265 Rp 4.8M

3.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$145 Rp 2.6M

1.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.8M

$796 Rp 14.4M

51.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$499 Rp 9.0M

21.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

$542 Rp 9.8M

296.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$334 Rp 6.0M

-20.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

13.17

-43.05%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Last update for Batam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Batam

$172 29.3% 16.1% $33

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Batam

$145 24.8% 1.6% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Batam

$62 10.6% 47.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Batam

$94 16.1% 14.6% $16

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Batam

$75 12.8% 16.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Batam

$32 5.5% 57.1% $12

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Batam

$5.7 * 1% 72.1% $15

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 $274 in Surabaya and $265 in Batam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Batam pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12 in Surabaya vs $8 in Batam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $172 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Batam

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

1,196,396

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Surabaya Batam 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Batam

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 Batam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batam is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Surabaya. 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: $274 in Surabaya versus $265 in Batam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Surabaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $685 per month in Surabaya versus $586 in Batam – Batam is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Batam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Batam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Surabaya, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.