Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Medan Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Medan

😐 Solo nomad: Surabaya is 20.5% more expensive than Medan without rent, and 7.9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Surabaya is 7% cheaper than Medan without rent, and 14.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.56 Rp 26.3K
$1.86 Rp 31.4K
-16.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.08 Rp 204.0K
$10.71 Rp 180.9K
12.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.15 Rp 53.2K
$3.17 Rp 53.6K
-0.63%
Cappuccino
$1.81 Rp 30.5K
$1.80 Rp 30.4K
0.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 Rp 11.1K
$0.40 Rp 6,677
65.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 Rp 4,736
$0.27 Rp 4,597
3.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 Rp 41.8K
$1.51 Rp 25.4K
63.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 Rp 69.2K
$5.37 Rp 90.7K
-23.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 Rp 23.1K
$1.19 Rp 20.1K
15.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 Rp 24.8K
$1.17 Rp 19.8K
25.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 Rp 15.6K
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
5.75%
Eggs
$1.45 Rp 24.4K
$1.50 Rp 25.4K
-3.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.30 Rp 157.0K
$9.36 Rp 158.1K
-0.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.18 Rp 53.7K
$3.91 Rp 66.1K
-18.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.10 Rp 136.8K
$6.83 Rp 115.3K
18.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.36 Rp 39.9K
$2.28 Rp 38.6K
3.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 Rp 26.3K
$1.01 Rp 17.0K
54.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 Rp 36.6K
$1.46 Rp 24.6K
48.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 Rp 25.4K
$0.93 Rp 15.7K
61.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 Rp 22.2K
$0.73 Rp 12.4K
80.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 30.1K
$1.26 Rp 21.2K
41.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 Rp 20.3K
$0.43 Rp 7,258
179.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 7,689
$0.47 Rp 7,905
-2.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.52 Rp 42.6K
$2.41 Rp 40.7K
4.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$26.15 Rp 441.5K
$16.79 Rp 283.5K
55.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 Rp 31.4K
$1.34 Rp 22.5K
38.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 Rp 55.8K
$3.22 Rp 54.3K
2.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 Rp 7,388
$0.30 Rp 4,986
46.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.39 Rp 158.6K
$10.11 Rp 170.7K
-7.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 7,949
$0.53 Rp 8,924
-11.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 Rp 5,262
$0.20 Rp 3,372
55.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.68 Rp 45.3K
$6.01 Rp 101.5K
-55.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 Rp 14.5K
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
-1.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K Rp 354.2M
$27.7K Rp 467.8M
-24.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.8K Rp 604.7M
$34.4K Rp 580.5M
4.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.9 Rp 1.4M
$82.2 Rp 1.4M
0.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.32 Rp 72.9K
$3.53 Rp 59.6K
22.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.81 Rp 334.5K
$33.29 Rp 562.2K
-40.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.00 Rp 371.5K
$23.70 Rp 400.2K
-7.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.56 Rp 77.0K
$7.15 Rp 120.7K
-36.22%
Cinema Ticket
$2.90 Rp 49.0K
$3.44 Rp 58.1K
-15.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$187 Rp 3.2M
$126 Rp 2.1M
47.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,374 Rp 158.3M
$10.7K Rp 180.1M
-12.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.8 Rp 1.1M
$66.7 Rp 1.1M
-5.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.22 Rp 645.3K
$42.45 Rp 716.8K
-9.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.7 Rp 1.3M
$118 Rp 2.0M
-34.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.5 Rp 1.4M
$64.3 Rp 1.1M
28.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$249 Rp 4.2M
$195 Rp 3.3M
27.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$135 Rp 2.3M
$99.1 Rp 1.7M
36.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$782 Rp 13.2M
$529 Rp 8.9M
47.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$394 Rp 6.7M
$229 Rp 3.9M
72.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,312 Rp 39.0M
$1,233 Rp 20.8M
87.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,134 Rp 19.1M
$599 Rp 10.1M
89.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surabaya
Medan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$300 Rp 5.1M
$233 Rp 3.9M
28.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.33
9.25
-9.95%

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

Last update for Surabaya: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medan: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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