Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Palangkaraya

For one person, living is cheaper in Palangkaraya: $603 a month against $682 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Surabaya, Indonesia
Palangkaraya, Indonesia
Surabaya
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$682
/mo nomad
Palangkaraya
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$603
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Palangkaraya

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

A single person spends $682 per month in Surabaya vs $603 in Palangkaraya, rent included.

  • Surabaya $682
  • Palangkaraya $603

A couple spends around $1,188 per month in Surabaya vs $960 in Palangkaraya, rent included.

  • Surabaya $1,188
  • Palangkaraya $960

A family of three spends $1,694 per month in Surabaya vs $1,317 in Palangkaraya, rent included.

  • Surabaya $1,694
  • Palangkaraya $1,317

Surabaya costs about 13% more than Palangkaraya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Surabaya and Palangkaraya are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 50% lower, Palangkaraya 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.62 Rp 29.4K
$1.40 Rp 25.3K
15.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.34 Rp 205.7K
$13.83 Rp 250.8K
-18.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.74 Rp 49.7K
$3.64 Rp 66.0K
-24.73%
Cappuccino
$1.51 Rp 27.4K
$1.47 Rp 26.7K
2.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 Rp 12.0K
$0.45 Rp 8,244
46.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 Rp 5,141
$0.18 Rp 3,255
55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 Rp 39.8K
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
-3.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 Rp 73.9K
$3.46 Rp 62.8K
17.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 Rp 21.8K
$1.16 Rp 21.1K
3.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 Rp 23.6K
$1.05 Rp 19.1K
23.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 Rp 15.7K
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
6.10%
Eggs
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.40 Rp 25.5K
-15.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.45 Rp 135.2K
$7.04 Rp 127.7K
5.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.91 Rp 52.7K
$2.21 Rp 40.1K
31.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.47 Rp 135.4K
$6.41 Rp 116.3K
16.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 Rp 36.3K
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
-10.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 Rp 23.3K
$1.73 Rp 31.3K
-26.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 Rp 33.0K
$1.55 Rp 28.1K
17.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 Rp 28.1K
$0.93 Rp 16.9K
66.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 Rp 23.4K
$1.22 Rp 22.2K
5.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 Rp 35.5K
$1.88 Rp 34.0K
4.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 Rp 17.2K
$0.85 Rp 15.5K
11.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 Rp 7,728
$0.41 Rp 7,509
4.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.89 Rp 34.3K
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
-30.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$24.59 Rp 446.0K
$20.79 Rp 377.1K
18.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 Rp 30.4K
$1.80 Rp 32.7K
-6.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 Rp 51.1K
$2.87 Rp 52.1K
-1.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 Rp 5,325
$0.25 Rp 4,563
16.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.73 Rp 303.4K
$11.65 Rp 211.4K
43.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.50 Rp 9,041
$0.53 Rp 9,653
-5.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.42 Rp 7,613
$0.32 Rp 5,720
31.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.58 Rp 46.7K
$2.79 Rp 50.6K
-7.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 Rp 15.8K
$0.65 Rp 11.7K
33.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.0K Rp 453.3M
$23.0K Rp 417.0M
8.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K Rp 582.2M
$32.2K Rp 583.5M
-0.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.4 Rp 1.6M
$64.0 Rp 1.2M
35.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.56 Rp 82.7K
$4.37 Rp 79.3K
4.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.27 Rp 349.6K
$19.16 Rp 347.6K
0.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.43 Rp 280.0K
$5.53 Rp 100.2K
179.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.74 Rp 122.3K
$8.04 Rp 145.9K
-16.17%
Cinema Ticket
$2.61 Rp 47.4K
$2.69 Rp 48.8K
-2.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$280 Rp 5.1M
$94.4 Rp 1.7M
196.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,211 Rp 76.4M
$7,979 Rp 144.7M
-47.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.0 Rp 1.3M
$42.88 Rp 777.9K
60.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.98 Rp 688.9K
$28.02 Rp 508.3K
35.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
$73.8 Rp 1.3M
10.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.3 Rp 1.3M
$69.8 Rp 1.3M
3.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$273 Rp 5.0M
$223 Rp 4.0M
22.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$146 Rp 2.6M
$146 Rp 2.7M
-0.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,230 Rp 22.3M
$542 Rp 9.8M
126.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$611 Rp 11.1M
$361 Rp 6.5M
69.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,179 Rp 39.5M
$1,146 Rp 20.8M
90.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,072 Rp 19.4M
$780 Rp 14.2M
37.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surabaya
Palangkaraya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$253 Rp 4.6M
-
-
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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Palangkaraya: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Surabaya
$205
Palangkaraya
$187 8.9% $18
Accommodation & Living
Surabaya
$146
Palangkaraya
$146 0.4% $0.6
Clothing & Footwear
Surabaya
$117
Palangkaraya
$97 17.7% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surabaya
$110
Palangkaraya
$87 20.6% $23
Eating Out
Surabaya
$62
Palangkaraya
$61 2.7% $1.6
Sport & Entertainment
Surabaya
$21
Palangkaraya
$11 47.2% $9.8
Getting Around
Surabaya
$21
Palangkaraya
$15 28% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $273 in Surabaya versus $223 in Palangkaraya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Surabaya versus $14 in Palangkaraya. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Surabaya vs $187 in Palangkaraya – so Palangkaraya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Surabaya
🇮🇩 Palangkaraya
🕒 Local time
22:48 10:48 PM
22:48 10:48 PM
Same time as Surabaya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,765,487
220,962
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,309 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Surabaya Palangkaraya 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Surabaya
  • Palangkaraya

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 Palangkaraya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Surabaya or Palangkaraya?
Surabaya costs about 13% more than Palangkaraya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Surabaya and in Palangkaraya?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,022 per month in Surabaya and $905 in Palangkaraya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Surabaya or Palangkaraya?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Palangkaraya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $273 in Surabaya.
How do childcare costs compare in Surabaya and in Palangkaraya?
Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Surabaya and $94 in Palangkaraya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Surabaya or in Palangkaraya?
Groceries cost about 10% more in Surabaya, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Surabaya or in Palangkaraya?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $682 in Surabaya and $603 in Palangkaraya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Palangkaraya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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