Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Jakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $783 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Jakarta

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

A single person spends $674 per month in Surabaya vs $783 in Jakarta, rent included.

Surabaya $674
Jakarta $783

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Surabaya vs $1,279 in Jakarta, rent included.

Surabaya $1,173
Jakarta $1,279

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Surabaya vs $1,775 in Jakarta, rent included.

Surabaya $1,672
Jakarta $1,775

Surabaya is about 14% cheaper than Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surabaya and Jakarta are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 50% lower, Jakarta 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

$2.74 Rp 49.4K

-40.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

$16.87 Rp 303.6K

-33.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

$3.28 Rp 59.1K

-4.27%

Cappuccino

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

$1.94 Rp 35.0K

-19.59%

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

$0.55 Rp 9,867

$0.46 Rp 8,308

19.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,619

$0.26 Rp 4,708

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$2.53 Rp 45.5K

-14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

$3.77 Rp 67.9K

9.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

-8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

16.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.91 Rp 16.3K

-8.79%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-35.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$9.19 Rp 165.5K

-15.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

$3.06 Rp 55.0K

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$7.40 Rp 133.1K

4.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$2.73 Rp 49.2K

-26.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

$1.35 Rp 24.3K

-4.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$2.61 Rp 46.9K

-27.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$1.31 Rp 23.6K

13.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

-1.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

-8.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,029

$0.51 Rp 9,180

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

-28.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

$21.22 Rp 381.9K

18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

$2.11 Rp 37.9K

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

$3.04 Rp 54.6K

-6.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 Rp 6,237

$0.27 Rp 4,819

29.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 Rp 205.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,282

$0.49 Rp 8,781

-6.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,542

$0.34 Rp 6,179

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

-22.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

8.64%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

$28.0K Rp 504.3M

-12.13%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

$33.0K Rp 594.8M

-2.33%

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

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

$104 Rp 1.9M

-16.41%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

$6.15 Rp 110.8K

-25.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

$19.23 Rp 346.2K

-0.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

$26.28 Rp 473.1K

-31.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

$14.33 Rp 257.9K

-53.52%

Cinema Ticket

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$3.17 Rp 57.1K

-16.72%

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

$277 Rp 5.0M

$154 Rp 2.8M

80.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

$8,170 Rp 147.1M

14.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$58.3 Rp 1.0M

21.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

$28.73 Rp 517.1K

34.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$72.7 Rp 1.3M

11.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

$105 Rp 1.9M

-28.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 Rp 5.1M

$355 Rp 6.4M

-20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 Rp 2.6M

$192 Rp 3.5M

-24.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

$1,127 Rp 20.3M

9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 Rp 10.8M

$553 Rp 10.0M

8.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

$2,969 Rp 53.4M

-27.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

$1,456 Rp 26.2M

-26.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$271 Rp 4.9M

$452 Rp 8.1M

-40.15%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 31%

Jakarta

$216 27.6% 3.6% $7.5

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$144 21.4%

Jakarta

$192 24.6% 33.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.7%

Jakarta

$119 15.2% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.5%

Jakarta

$130 16.6% 17% $19

Eating Out

Surabaya

$63 9.4%

Jakarta

$78 10% 23.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.4%

Jakarta

$33 4.2% 40.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Jakarta

$15 1.9% 273% $11

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 $355 in Jakarta. 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 67% higher in Jakarta, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Surabaya versus $17.00 in Jakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $216 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

11,337,563 Capital

💱 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 Jakarta 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Jakarta

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 Jakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta costs about 16% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,175 in Jakarta. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Surabaya and $17.00 in Jakarta. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Jakarta, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $674 in Surabaya and $783 in Jakarta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surabaya costs $674 versus $783 in Jakarta. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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