Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $674 in Surabaya versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Surabaya $674
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Surabaya versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Surabaya $1,173
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,672 in Surabaya versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Surabaya $1,672
Phuket $2,845

Living in Surabaya costs roughly 44% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

$4.40 ฿147

-62.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

$32.26 ฿1,078

-65.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

$8.76 ฿293

-64.16%

Cappuccino

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

$2.83 ฿94.5

-44.88%

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

$0.55 Rp 9,867

$0.90 ฿30.14

-38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,619

$0.47 ฿15.56

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$2.55 ฿85.2

-15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

$3.83 ฿128

8.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

$1.73 ฿57.7

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

$1.47 ฿49.11

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.51 ฿50.6

-45.03%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.17 ฿72.7

-45.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$19.70 ฿658

-60.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

$3.34 ฿112

-7.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$11.16 ฿373

-30.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$2.85 ฿95.1

-29.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

$1.70 ฿56.9

-24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$2.19 ฿73.3

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$2.05 ฿68.4

-27.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

$1.45 ฿48.57

-6.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$1.38 ฿46.16

37.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

$1.07 ฿35.69

-16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,029

$0.51 ฿16.91

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$4.26 ฿142

-53.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

$18.58 ฿621

35.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

$1.78 ฿59.7

-2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

$2.85 ฿95.2

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 Rp 6,237

$2.26 ฿75.6

-84.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,282

$3.01 ฿101

-84.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,542

$1.06 ฿35.34

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

$3.86 ฿129

-33.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$1.45 ฿48.45

-39.31%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-6.50%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

19.79%

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

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

$96.4 ฿3,221

-9.40%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

$11.04 ฿369

-58.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

$17.14 ฿573

11.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

$52.2 ฿1,744

-65.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

$11.16 ฿373

-40.32%

Cinema Ticket

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$7.81 ฿261

-66.20%

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

$277 Rp 5.0M

$556 ฿18.6K

-50.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-19.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$64.2 ฿2,146

10.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

$28.69 ฿959

34.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$95.4 ฿3,187

-15.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

$88.0 ฿2,940

-14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 Rp 5.1M

$737 ฿24.6K

-61.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 Rp 2.6M

$462 ฿15.5K

-68.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-40.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 Rp 10.8M

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-49.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-38.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-57.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$271 Rp 4.9M

$501 ฿16.7K

-45.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

5.57

34.65%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 31%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 28.7% $60

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$144 21.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 221% $318

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.1% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 12.3% $14

Eating Out

Surabaya

$63 9.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 91.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 192% $45

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 901% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Surabaya and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11.00 in Surabaya vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $269 per month, with Surabaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

79,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surabaya Phuket 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $282 in Surabaya versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $277 in Surabaya versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surabaya – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $674 in Surabaya versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surabaya but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Surabaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Surabaya and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Surabaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.