Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $640 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $540 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
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Makassar Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Makassar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $685 in Surabaya versus $640 in Makassar.

Surabaya $685
Makassar $640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Surabaya versus $989 in Makassar.

Surabaya $1,189
Makassar $989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Surabaya versus $1,338 in Makassar.

Surabaya $1,693
Makassar $1,338

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$1.61 Rp 29.2K

4.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 209.1K

$9.07 Rp 164.8K

26.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.5K

$3.09 Rp 56.2K

0.65%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.98 Rp 36.0K

-22.22%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.49 Rp 8,981

20.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,128

$0.33 Rp 5,947

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.54 Rp 46.2K

-12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.3K

$3.18 Rp 57.8K

32.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

$1.56 Rp 28.3K

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

22.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.57 Rp 10.4K

42.11%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

-21.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.4K

$6.43 Rp 116.8K

14.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.9K

$3.48 Rp 63.2K

-13.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.4K

$5.38 Rp 97.8K

37.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

$2.35 Rp 42.7K

-13.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$1.36 Rp 24.6K

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

-1.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

22.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

6.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

$1.48 Rp 27.0K

27.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,116

$0.41 Rp 7,416

-4.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

-28.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 443.5K

$22.04 Rp 400.2K

10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$1.79 Rp 32.5K

-3.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.93 Rp 53.2K

1.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,850

$0.29 Rp 5,304

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 301.5K

$11.90 Rp 216.0K

39.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,504

$0.49 Rp 8,832

-4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,189

$0.34 Rp 6,238

32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

-8.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

5.19%

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

$24.3K Rp 442.1M

$22.9K Rp 415.9M

6.30%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.1M

$32.4K Rp 588.5M

-2.28%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$89.6 Rp 1.6M

-3.37%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.9K

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

74.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.9K

$24.31 Rp 441.5K

-19.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.8K

$21.48 Rp 390.0K

-28.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.5K

$8.36 Rp 151.9K

-21.89%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

-22.02%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

194.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.8M

$3,715 Rp 67.5M

150.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$27.01 Rp 490.6K

155.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 694.5K

$22.77 Rp 413.6K

67.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

5.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$39.35 Rp 714.6K

89.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$225 Rp 4.1M

21.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$144 Rp 2.6M

2.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.9M

$553 Rp 10.0M

117.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$363 Rp 6.6M

67.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 39.0M

$1,146 Rp 20.8M

87.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

$795 Rp 14.4M

33.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$211 Rp 3.8M

25.69%

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 Makassar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Makassar

$194 30.3% 5.2% $11

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Makassar

$144 22.5% 2.5% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Makassar

$74 11.5% 37.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Makassar

$116 18.2% 5.3% $5.9

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Makassar

$68 10.7% 6.2% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 36.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Makassar

$15 2.4% 25.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Surabaya and $225 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Surabaya vs $9 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $194 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h ahead of Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

1,427,619

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Surabaya Makassar 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Surabaya. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 26% 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 $225 in Makassar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 28% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $270 in Surabaya versus $92 in Makassar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Makassar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Makassar is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Surabaya, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Surabaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.