Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Binjai

For one person, living is cheaper in Binjai: $638 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $560 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 Binjai
Learn more

Binjai Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Binjai

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Binjai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $685 in Surabaya versus $638 in Binjai.

Surabaya $685
Binjai $638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Surabaya versus $1,029 in Binjai.

Surabaya $1,189
Binjai $1,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Surabaya versus $1,421 in Binjai.

Surabaya $1,693
Binjai $1,421

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Binjai 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

-6.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 208.8K

$15.06 Rp 273.1K

-23.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

10.68%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.33 Rp 24.1K

15.79%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.48 Rp 8,707

22.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,121

$0.20 Rp 3,639

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.49 Rp 45.1K

-10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.2K

$3.12 Rp 56.6K

34.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

32.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

1.25%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

-5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.2K

$6.22 Rp 112.9K

18.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

-4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.3K

$7.48 Rp 135.8K

-1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

-16.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.77 Rp 32.2K

5.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

17.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

-4.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

-4.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,107

$0.39 Rp 6,985

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

-19.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 443.0K

$21.59 Rp 391.6K

13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$2.01 Rp 36.5K

-14.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$3.20 Rp 58.0K

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,844

$0.21 Rp 3,849

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 301.1K

$10.00 Rp 181.4K

66.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,493

$0.47 Rp 8,510

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,178

$0.36 Rp 6,512

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

$3.18 Rp 57.6K

-19.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

-13.83%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.6M

$20.3K Rp 369.0M

19.66%

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

$31.7K Rp 574.4M

$30.1K Rp 546.1M

5.19%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$68.7 Rp 1.2M

26.02%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.8K

$3.91 Rp 70.8K

16.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.4K

$18.11 Rp 328.4K

7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.4K

$20.19 Rp 366.2K

-23.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.4K

$8.73 Rp 158.4K

-25.20%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

-9.03%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$105 Rp 1.9M

157.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.6M

$8,060 Rp 146.2M

15.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$42.93 Rp 778.7K

60.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 693.7K

$27.03 Rp 490.3K

41.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$84.1 Rp 1.5M

-6.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$62.7 Rp 1.1M

18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$204 Rp 3.7M

34.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$156 Rp 2.8M

-5.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.8M

$495 Rp 9.0M

143.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$411 Rp 7.5M

47.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

$1,207 Rp 21.9M

77.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

$752 Rp 13.6M

41.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

9.46

-20.72%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Last update for Binjai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Binjai

$194 30.4% 5.3% $11

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Binjai

$156 24.5% 5.9% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Binjai

$98 15.3% 16.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Binjai

$91 14.2% 18% $20

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Binjai

$60 9.4% 6.3% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Binjai

$26 4.1% 26% $5.4

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Binjai

$13 2.1% 35.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Surabaya and $204 in Binjai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Surabaya vs $15 in Binjai. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $194, with Binjai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Binjai

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

267,901

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Surabaya Binjai 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Binjai

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 Binjai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binjai is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,028 in Surabaya and $956 in Binjai 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: $274 in Surabaya versus $204 in Binjai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $685 per month in Surabaya versus $638 in Binjai – Binjai is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Binjai runs roughly 40% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Binjai 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.