Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Magelang

For one person, living is cheaper in Magelang: $522 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
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Magelang Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Magelang

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Surabaya vs $522 in Magelang, rent included.

Surabaya $685
Magelang $522

A couple spends around $1,189 per month in Surabaya vs $829 in Magelang, rent included.

Surabaya $1,189
Magelang $829

A family of three spends $1,693 per month in Surabaya vs $1,136 in Magelang, rent included.

Surabaya $1,693
Magelang $1,136

Surabaya costs about 31% more than Magelang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Surabaya and Magelang are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 50% lower, Magelang 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

19.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 208.8K

$8.48 Rp 153.8K

35.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

22.44%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

108.11%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.32 Rp 5,747

84.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,121

$0.17 Rp 3,097

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

71.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.2K

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

58.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

21.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

10.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

8.00%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.18 Rp 21.3K

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.2K

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

33.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.3K

$6.95 Rp 126.1K

6.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

11.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

70.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

34.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

40.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,107

$0.36 Rp 6,475

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 443.0K

$16.50 Rp 299.3K

48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

40.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,844

$0.29 Rp 5,323

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 301.1K

$11.28 Rp 204.7K

47.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,493

$0.43 Rp 7,752

9.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,178

$0.32 Rp 5,785

40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

17.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

10.96%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.6M

$25.4K Rp 460.3M

-4.07%

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

$31.7K Rp 574.4M

$28.0K Rp 507.5M

13.18%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$46.08 Rp 835.7K

87.83%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.8K

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

15.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.4K

$19.56 Rp 354.7K

-0.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.4K

$13.49 Rp 244.6K

13.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.4K

$3.64 Rp 66.0K

79.40%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

3.15%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$43.82 Rp 794.8K

516.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.6M

$3,925 Rp 71.2M

136.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$19.01 Rp 344.9K

263.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 693.7K

$19.05 Rp 345.5K

100.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

37.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$51.7 Rp 937.0K

44.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$226 Rp 4.1M

21.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$146 Rp 2.7M

0.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.8M

$561 Rp 10.2M

114.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$361 Rp 6.5M

68.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

85.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

$800 Rp 14.5M

33.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$170 Rp 3.1M

56.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Magelang

$165 31.6% 19.3% $40

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Magelang

$146 28.1% 0.8% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Magelang

$66 12.7% 43.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Magelang

$70 13.3% 37.1% $41

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Magelang

$41 8% 35.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Magelang

$19 3.6% 9.9% $2

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Magelang

$14 2.8% 29% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Surabaya versus $226 in Magelang. 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 56% higher in Surabaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Surabaya versus $8 in Magelang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $165 – making Magelang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Magelang

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

118,227

💱 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

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From you

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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 Magelang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $685 in Surabaya, $522 in Magelang – Magelang comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,028 per month in Surabaya and $782 in Magelang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Magelang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $274 in Surabaya.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Surabaya, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Surabaya and $8 in Magelang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $685 in Surabaya and $522 in Magelang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Magelang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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