Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Semarang

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Surabaya vs $593 in Semarang, rent included.

Surabaya $685
Semarang $593

A couple spends around $1,189 per month in Surabaya vs $938 in Semarang, rent included.

Surabaya $1,189
Semarang $938

A family of three spends $1,693 per month in Surabaya vs $1,282 in Semarang, rent included.

Surabaya $1,693
Semarang $1,282

Surabaya costs about 16% more than Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Surabaya and Semarang are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 50% lower, Semarang 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

25.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 209.3K

$10.53 Rp 191.4K

9.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.6K

$3.04 Rp 55.4K

2.30%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

20.31%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.43 Rp 7,812

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,134

$0.16 Rp 2,848

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

35.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.4K

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

29.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

35.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

2.53%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.6K

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

90.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 55.0K

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

29.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.6K

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

-1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.2K

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

4.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

-3.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.9K

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

4.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

$1.89 Rp 34.4K

-0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,124

$0.40 Rp 7,362

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 444.1K

$25.05 Rp 455.4K

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

52.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,856

$0.21 Rp 3,818

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 301.8K

$13.93 Rp 253.2K

19.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,514

$0.50 Rp 9,132

-6.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,198

$0.29 Rp 5,334

55.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.6K

$2.69 Rp 48.9K

-4.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.77 Rp 14.1K

5.19%

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

$24.3K Rp 442.7M

$24.5K Rp 446.2M

-0.79%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.8M

$32.2K Rp 585.8M

-1.70%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

0.49%

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

$4.57 Rp 83.0K

$2.67 Rp 48.5K

71.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 354.3K

$18.96 Rp 344.8K

2.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 279.1K

$20.30 Rp 369.1K

-24.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.7K

$4.49 Rp 81.6K

45.43%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.7K

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

16.44%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$49.33 Rp 897.0K

447.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 169.0M

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

347.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$34.61 Rp 629.4K

99.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 695.4K

$29.31 Rp 532.9K

30.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

39.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$38.07 Rp 692.2K

95.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$226 Rp 4.1M

21.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$136 Rp 2.5M

8.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.9M

$477 Rp 8.7M

152.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$380 Rp 6.9M

59.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 39.0M

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

75.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.4M

$833 Rp 15.2M

27.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$186 Rp 3.4M

43.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

8.82

-14.97%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 27, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Semarang

$184 31% 10.1% $21

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Semarang

$136 23% 7.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Semarang

$71 12% 39.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Semarang

$108 18.2% 2.6% $2.8

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Semarang

$52 8.8% 18.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 20.4% $4.2

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 17.9% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Surabaya versus $226 in Semarang. 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 43% higher in Surabaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Surabaya versus $11 in Semarang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $184 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surabaya is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,028 per month in Surabaya and $890 in Semarang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semarang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $274 in Surabaya.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Surabaya and $11 in Semarang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $685 in Surabaya and $593 in Semarang. That makes Semarang about 13% cheaper.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $685 in Surabaya and $593 in Semarang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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