Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Mataram

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataram: $605 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $960 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Mataram
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Mataram Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Mataram

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Mataram

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $685 in Surabaya versus $605 in Mataram.

Surabaya $685
Mataram $605

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

Surabaya $1,189
Mataram $977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Surabaya versus $1,348 in Mataram.

Surabaya $1,693
Mataram $1,348

Living in Surabaya is roughly 13% more expensive than in Mataram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Mataram 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

68.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 208.6K

$8.82 Rp 159.8K

30.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

$3.24 Rp 58.7K

-4.01%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

0.65%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.46 Rp 8,344

28.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,116

$0.30 Rp 5,390

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.68 Rp 48.5K

-16.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.2K

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$1.37 Rp 24.9K

-8.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

-14.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

-3.57%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

-15.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.1K

$8.07 Rp 146.3K

-8.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$2.85 Rp 51.7K

5.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.1K

$7.47 Rp 135.4K

-0.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

-0.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

$1.18 Rp 21.3K

5.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

18.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

6.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$2.17 Rp 39.4K

-13.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

21.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,100

$0.39 Rp 7,106

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

$2.60 Rp 47.2K

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 442.5K

$21.31 Rp 386.1K

14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.1K

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$3.12 Rp 56.6K

-4.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,839

$0.21 Rp 3,809

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 300.8K

$11.53 Rp 209.0K

43.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,485

$0.49 Rp 8,897

-4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,170

$0.37 Rp 6,626

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

-8.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.57 Rp 10.2K

42.11%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.1M

$22.9K Rp 415.3M

6.21%

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

$31.7K Rp 573.8M

$29.7K Rp 538.7M

6.52%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$57.9 Rp 1.0M

49.46%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.7K

$3.75 Rp 67.9K

21.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.1K

$18.52 Rp 335.6K

5.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.2K

$18.47 Rp 334.6K

-16.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.2K

$7.43 Rp 134.6K

-12.11%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$2.73 Rp 49.5K

-4.03%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$98.6 Rp 1.8M

174.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.4M

$8,614 Rp 156.1M

7.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$40.36 Rp 731.4K

71.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 693.0K

$28.06 Rp 508.4K

36.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$74.8 Rp 1.4M

5.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$69.9 Rp 1.3M

6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$228 Rp 4.1M

20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$130 Rp 2.4M

13.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.8M

$516 Rp 9.3M

133.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$371 Rp 6.7M

63.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

$1,170 Rp 21.2M

83.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

$752 Rp 13.6M

41.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$217 Rp 3.9M

22.63%

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 Mataram: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Mataram

$202 33.4% 1.3% $2.7

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Mataram

$130 21.4% 12.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Mataram

$96 15.8% 18.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Mataram

$80 13.2% 27.5% $30

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Mataram

$59 9.8% 7.9% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Mataram

$24 4% 16.2% $3.3

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Mataram

$15 2.4% 28% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Surabaya and $228 in Mataram. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Surabaya vs $9 in Mataram for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $202 per month, with Mataram cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Mataram

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

1 h ahead of Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

402,843

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Surabaya Mataram 400 km

From you

Surabaya
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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 Mataram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $685 in Surabaya and $605 in Mataram, so Mataram is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% 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 $228 in Mataram. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mataram runs roughly 31% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $685 per month in Surabaya versus $605 in Mataram – Mataram is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Mataram 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 – Mataram wins on affordability, Surabaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.