Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Jambi

For one person, living is cheaper in Jambi: $614 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $850 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 Jambi
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Jambi Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Jambi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Jambi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $685 in Surabaya versus $614 in Jambi.

Surabaya $685
Jambi $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Surabaya versus $977 in Jambi.

Surabaya $1,189
Jambi $977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Surabaya versus $1,340 in Jambi.

Surabaya $1,693
Jambi $1,340

Living in Surabaya is roughly 12% more expensive than in Jambi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Jambi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$1.50 Rp 27.2K

12.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 208.9K

$12.18 Rp 221.0K

-5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

10.28%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

16.67%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.43 Rp 7,726

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,123

$0.17 Rp 3,132

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.11 Rp 38.4K

5.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.3K

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

19.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

22.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

-5.81%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

-19.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.3K

$8.08 Rp 146.7K

-9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.9K

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

11.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.3K

$7.31 Rp 132.7K

1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

-3.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.57 Rp 28.5K

18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

23.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

11.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

-4.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

$0.88 Rp 16.0K

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,109

$0.43 Rp 7,797

-9.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

-26.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 443.1K

$22.44 Rp 407.1K

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$2.87 Rp 52.0K

3.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,846

$0.26 Rp 4,705

3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 301.2K

$11.33 Rp 205.6K

46.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,497

$0.50 Rp 8,984

-6.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,181

$0.31 Rp 5,593

45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

-15.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.02 Rp 18.4K

-20.59%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.7M

$23.0K Rp 416.6M

6.03%

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

$31.7K Rp 574.6M

$36.3K Rp 658.0M

-12.68%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

17.61%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.8K

$3.81 Rp 69.2K

19.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.6K

$17.48 Rp 317.2K

11.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.5K

$15.36 Rp 278.8K

-0.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.4K

$8.55 Rp 155.2K

-23.63%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

-3.32%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$86.2 Rp 1.6M

213.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.6M

$8,342 Rp 151.4M

11.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$42.73 Rp 775.3K

61.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 693.9K

$31.73 Rp 575.7K

20.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

8.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$66.6 Rp 1.2M

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$215 Rp 3.9M

27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$134 Rp 2.4M

10.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.9M

$567 Rp 10.3M

112.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$349 Rp 6.3M

73.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

$1,148 Rp 20.8M

86.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

$759 Rp 13.8M

40.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$198 Rp 3.6M

33.80%

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 Jambi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Jambi

$198 32.3% 3% $6.2

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Jambi

$134 21.7% 9.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Jambi

$96 15.6% 18.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Jambi

$95 15.5% 14.2% $16

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Jambi

$56 9.2% 12.3% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Jambi

$21 3.4% 0.9% $0.2

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Jambi

$14 2.3% 29.4% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Surabaya and $215 in Jambi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Surabaya vs $12 in Jambi. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $198, with Jambi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Jambi

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

750,857

💱 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 Jambi 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Jambi

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 Jambi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya and Jambi differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($685 vs $614 including rent). Jambi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Surabaya, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $274 in Surabaya versus $215 in Jambi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% 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 $614 in Jambi – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Jambi 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.

It comes down to priorities – Jambi wins on affordability, Surabaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.