Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Salatiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Salatiga: $465 a month against $688 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Salatiga
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Salatiga Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Salatiga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Salatiga

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

A single person spends $688 per month in Surabaya vs $465 in Salatiga, rent included.

Surabaya $688
Salatiga $465

A couple spends around $1,191 per month in Surabaya vs $673 in Salatiga, rent included.

Surabaya $1,191
Salatiga $673

A family of three spends $1,695 per month in Surabaya vs $881 in Salatiga, rent included.

Surabaya $1,695
Salatiga $881

Surabaya costs about 48% more than Salatiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Surabaya and Salatiga are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 49% lower, Salatiga 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

$0.93 Rp 16.6K

81.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

$9.10 Rp 162.7K

25.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

$2.73 Rp 48.8K

11.72%

Cappuccino

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

$1.36 Rp 24.3K

15.44%

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

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

$0.31 Rp 5,482

96.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,027

$0.21 Rp 3,825

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

13.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 Rp 73.2K

$4.11 Rp 73.5K

-0.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$1.21 Rp 21.6K

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.33 Rp 23.8K

-4.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

5.00%

Eggs

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

$1.20 Rp 21.4K

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.66 Rp 137.0K

$7.78 Rp 139.1K

-1.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

$3.06 Rp 54.7K

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

$7.54 Rp 134.9K

4.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

$2.10 Rp 37.6K

-0.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

$1.26 Rp 22.6K

3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

$1.89 Rp 33.8K

-3.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

$1.57 Rp 28.1K

-0.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$1.38 Rp 24.6K

-5.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

$1.98 Rp 35.4K

-3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

$0.35 Rp 6,295

174.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,681

$0.39 Rp 6,929

10.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

$1.92 Rp 34.3K

1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

$24.91 Rp 445.3K

-0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

$1.69 Rp 30.1K

2.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 Rp 5,670

$0.22 Rp 3,927

45.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,521

$0.47 Rp 8,391

2.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,681

$0.44 Rp 7,861

-2.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

$2.57 Rp 46.0K

1.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

$0.68 Rp 12.1K

22.06%

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

$25.0K Rp 446.1M

$24.6K Rp 439.5M

1.50%

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

$32.8K Rp 585.7M

$32.7K Rp 584.6M

0.17%

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

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

$86.8 Rp 1.6M

-0.75%

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

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

$4.71 Rp 84.2K

-2.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.24 Rp 344.0K

$19.57 Rp 349.8K

-1.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.96 Rp 321.1K

$11.38 Rp 203.4K

57.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

Cinema Ticket

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

$1.96 Rp 35.1K

38.78%

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

$280 Rp 5.0M

$274 Rp 4.9M

2.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,557 Rp 170.9M

$9,627 Rp 172.1M

-0.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

$22.38 Rp 400.2K

212.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 Rp 702.8K

$11.01 Rp 196.9K

257.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

$44.57 Rp 796.9K

82.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

-2.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 Rp 5.0M

$170 Rp 3.0M

63.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 Rp 11.1M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$273 Rp 4.9M

$151 Rp 2.7M

81.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Last update for Salatiga: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 30.9%

Salatiga

$207 45.2% 1.2% $2.4

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$147 21.7%

Salatiga

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.6%

Salatiga

$69 15% 42.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$110 16.3%

Salatiga

$111 24.3% 1% $1.1

Eating Out

Surabaya

$65 9.5%

Salatiga

$52 11.4% 19.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.5%

Salatiga

$15 3.3% 34.6% $8.1

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Salatiga

$3.6 * 0.8% 8.7% $0.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Surabaya versus $170 in Salatiga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 81% higher in Surabaya, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Surabaya versus $9.00 in Salatiga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $207 – making Salatiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Salatiga

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

190,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Surabaya Salatiga 250 km

From you

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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 Salatiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya costs about 48% more than Salatiga, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,032 per month in Surabaya and $697 in Salatiga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salatiga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Surabaya and $9.00 in Salatiga. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Surabaya, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $688 in Surabaya and $465 in Salatiga, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Salatiga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Salatiga. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surabaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.