Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Denpasar, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $897 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
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Denpasar, Bali Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $674 in Surabaya versus $897 in Denpasar, Bali.

Surabaya $674
Denpasar, Bali $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Surabaya versus $1,498 in Denpasar, Bali.

Surabaya $1,173
Denpasar, Bali $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,672 in Surabaya versus $2,099 in Denpasar, Bali.

Surabaya $1,672
Denpasar, Bali $2,099

Living in Surabaya costs roughly 25% less than in Denpasar, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Denpasar, Bali 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

$2.17 Rp 39.0K

-24.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

$23.40 Rp 421.2K

-51.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

$3.85 Rp 69.2K

-18.44%

Cappuccino

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

$1.75 Rp 31.5K

-10.86%

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

$0.55 Rp 9,867

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

-49.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,619

$0.55 Rp 9,843

-52.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

$3.00 Rp 53.9K

38.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

$1.23 Rp 22.1K

1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

-29.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

-17.00%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.67 Rp 30.1K

-29.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$13.75 Rp 247.5K

-43.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

$3.10 Rp 55.7K

-0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$9.82 Rp 176.7K

-21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$2.97 Rp 53.4K

-31.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

$1.22 Rp 22.0K

5.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

0.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-6.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

-10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$1.95 Rp 35.0K

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

5.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,029

$0.44 Rp 7,874

-11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$1.75 Rp 31.5K

13.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

$18.50 Rp 333.0K

35.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

20.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 Rp 6,237

$0.23 Rp 4,158

52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.46 Rp 134.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,282

$0.42 Rp 7,507

9.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,542

$0.43 Rp 7,696

-2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

-16.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

17.33%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

$21.4K Rp 385.2M

15.04%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

$29.8K Rp 535.9M

8.41%

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

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

$74.0 Rp 1.3M

17.98%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

$5.66 Rp 101.9K

-19.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

$16.94 Rp 304.9K

12.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

$38.92 Rp 700.5K

-53.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

$12.66 Rp 227.8K

-47.39%

Cinema Ticket

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

-11.71%

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

$277 Rp 5.0M

$373 Rp 6.7M

-25.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

$4,351 Rp 78.3M

114.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$38.22 Rp 687.9K

85.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

$30.44 Rp 547.9K

26.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$68.0 Rp 1.2M

18.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

$67.9 Rp 1.2M

10.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 Rp 5.1M

$586 Rp 10.5M

-51.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 Rp 2.6M

$348 Rp 6.3M

-58.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

$1,866 Rp 33.6M

-33.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 Rp 10.8M

$892 Rp 16.1M

-32.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

$1,429 Rp 25.7M

51.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

$1,199 Rp 21.6M

-10.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$271 Rp 4.9M

$274 Rp 4.9M

-1.22%

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 Denpasar, Bali: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 31%

Denpasar, Bali

$233 26% 11.7% $24

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$144 21.4%

Denpasar, Bali

$348 38.8% 141% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.7%

Denpasar, Bali

$92 10.3% 22.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.5%

Denpasar, Bali

$97 10.8% 12.9% $14

Eating Out

Surabaya

$63 9.4%

Denpasar, Bali

$71 8% 12.7% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.4%

Denpasar, Bali

$45 5% 93.6% $22

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Denpasar, Bali

$11 1.2% 178% $7

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 $586 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denpasar, Bali pays 1% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11.00 in Surabaya vs $23.00 in Denpasar, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $233 per month, with Surabaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

1 h ahead of Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

788,445

💱 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 Denpasar, Bali 310 km

From you

Surabaya
Denpasar, 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 Denpasar, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya and Denpasar, Bali differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($674 vs $897 including rent). Surabaya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Denpasar, Bali. 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 $586 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Denpasar, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $674 per month in Surabaya versus $897 in Denpasar, Bali – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $674 in Surabaya versus $897 in Denpasar, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surabaya but tight or insufficient in Denpasar, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Surabaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Surabaya and Denpasar, Bali 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 Surabaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Denpasar, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.