Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Padang

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $613 a month against $682 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $830 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 Padang
Learn more

Padang Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$682

/mo nomad

Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Padang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $682 in Surabaya versus $613 in Padang.

Surabaya $682
Padang $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,188 in Surabaya versus $1,020 in Padang.

Surabaya $1,188
Padang $1,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Surabaya versus $1,426 in Padang.

Surabaya $1,694
Padang $1,426

Living in Surabaya is roughly 11% more expensive than in Padang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

-2.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.34 Rp 205.9K

$15.67 Rp 284.5K

-27.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 Rp 49.7K

$3.26 Rp 59.3K

-15.95%

Cappuccino

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

-2.58%

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

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

$0.48 Rp 8,793

37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,145

$0.24 Rp 4,295

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

$2.46 Rp 44.7K

-10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 Rp 74.0K

$3.87 Rp 70.2K

5.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.16 Rp 21.1K

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.22 Rp 22.2K

6.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

-8.42%

Eggs

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.45 Rp 26.3K

-17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 Rp 135.3K

$7.94 Rp 144.2K

-6.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 Rp 52.8K

$2.60 Rp 47.2K

11.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 Rp 135.6K

$8.39 Rp 152.4K

-10.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 36.3K

$2.01 Rp 36.4K

-0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

2.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

$1.15 Rp 20.9K

34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

$1.22 Rp 22.2K

5.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.6K

$2.06 Rp 37.4K

-4.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$0.72 Rp 13.1K

31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,735

$0.40 Rp 7,186

7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

-30.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.59 Rp 446.4K

$17.59 Rp 319.3K

39.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

$2.01 Rp 36.6K

-16.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,330

$0.28 Rp 5,001

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 Rp 303.7K

$11.91 Rp 216.2K

40.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,049

$0.49 Rp 8,984

2.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,619

$0.28 Rp 5,167

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

$3.06 Rp 55.5K

-15.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.8K

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

$25.0K Rp 453.7M

$22.1K Rp 401.7M

12.94%

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

$32.1K Rp 582.7M

$31.4K Rp 570.1M

2.20%

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

$86.4 Rp 1.6M

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

34.03%

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

$4.56 Rp 82.7K

$4.68 Rp 85.0K

-2.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.27 Rp 349.9K

$21.24 Rp 385.6K

-9.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.43 Rp 280.2K

$16.59 Rp 301.1K

-6.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.74 Rp 122.4K

$7.09 Rp 128.7K

-4.94%

Cinema Ticket

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

$2.67 Rp 48.5K

-2.25%

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

$280 Rp 5.1M

$90.6 Rp 1.6M

209.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,211 Rp 76.4M

$9,200 Rp 167.0M

-54.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 Rp 1.3M

$42.90 Rp 778.8K

60.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 Rp 689.5K

$31.29 Rp 568.1K

21.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$66.1 Rp 1.2M

23.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 Rp 1.3M

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

12.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 Rp 5.0M

$215 Rp 3.9M

26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 Rp 2.6M

$138 Rp 2.5M

5.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 Rp 22.3M

$607 Rp 11.0M

102.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 Rp 11.1M

$421 Rp 7.6M

45.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,179 Rp 39.6M

$1,143 Rp 20.7M

90.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.5M

$690 Rp 12.5M

55.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 Rp 4.6M

$165 Rp 3.0M

53.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

9.45

-20.63%

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

Last update for Surabaya: November 3, 2026

Last update for Padang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 30.1%

Padang

$192 31.2% 6.6% $14

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$146 21.4%

Padang

$138 22.5% 5.4% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.2%

Padang

$92 15% 21.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$110 16.2%

Padang

$90 14.7% 18% $20

Eating Out

Surabaya

$62 9.1%

Padang

$65 10.5% 3.9% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Padang

$22 3.6% 6.1% $1.3

Getting Around

Surabaya

$21 3%

Padang

$15 2.4% 27.2% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $273 in Surabaya and $215 in Padang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surabaya pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Surabaya vs $16 in Padang. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $192, with Padang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Padang

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

1,000,096

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Surabaya Padang 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Padang

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 Padang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Padang wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Surabaya. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Padang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 53% 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: $273 in Surabaya versus $215 in Padang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Padang runs roughly 29% less than in Surabaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $280 in Surabaya versus $91 in Padang. 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 Padang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Padang 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.

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