Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Sibolga

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibolga: $624 a month against $682 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $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
30

Cost of Living Index in Sibolga
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Sibolga Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$682

/mo nomad

Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Sibolga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $682 in Surabaya versus $624 in Sibolga.

Surabaya $682
Sibolga $624

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,188 in Surabaya versus $996 in Sibolga.

Surabaya $1,188
Sibolga $996

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Surabaya versus $1,368 in Sibolga.

Surabaya $1,694
Sibolga $1,368

Living in Surabaya is roughly 9% more expensive than in Sibolga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, Sibolga 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

-3.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.34 Rp 205.7K

$14.03 Rp 254.4K

-19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 Rp 49.7K

$3.31 Rp 60.1K

-17.22%

Cappuccino

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

$1.45 Rp 26.4K

4.14%

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

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

$0.43 Rp 7,740

53.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,141

$0.22 Rp 3,973

27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

$2.15 Rp 38.9K

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 Rp 73.9K

$3.37 Rp 61.2K

20.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

8.75%

Eggs

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 Rp 135.2K

$6.98 Rp 126.7K

6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 Rp 52.7K

$2.95 Rp 53.5K

-1.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 Rp 135.4K

$7.67 Rp 139.2K

-2.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 36.3K

$2.14 Rp 38.8K

-6.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

23.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

2.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

2.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

20.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,728

$0.39 Rp 7,073

10.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$2.57 Rp 46.5K

-26.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.59 Rp 446.0K

$20.63 Rp 374.3K

19.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

-9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

$3.01 Rp 54.7K

-6.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,325

$0.23 Rp 4,146

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 Rp 303.4K

$11.34 Rp 205.8K

47.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,041

$0.53 Rp 9,672

-5.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,613

$0.34 Rp 6,227

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.7K

$2.90 Rp 52.7K

-11.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.8K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

7.41%

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

$25.0K Rp 453.3M

$22.6K Rp 410.0M

10.57%

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

$32.1K Rp 582.2M

$32.5K Rp 590.3M

-1.38%

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

$86.4 Rp 1.6M

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

34.83%

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

$4.56 Rp 82.7K

$4.29 Rp 77.8K

6.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.27 Rp 349.6K

$18.67 Rp 338.6K

3.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.43 Rp 280.0K

$18.29 Rp 331.9K

-15.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.74 Rp 122.3K

$8.13 Rp 147.5K

-17.10%

Cinema Ticket

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

$2.73 Rp 49.5K

-4.40%

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

$280 Rp 5.1M

$94.7 Rp 1.7M

195.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,211 Rp 76.4M

$8,087 Rp 146.7M

-47.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 Rp 1.3M

$43.28 Rp 785.2K

59.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 Rp 688.9K

$28.82 Rp 522.7K

31.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$76.0 Rp 1.4M

7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 Rp 1.3M

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 Rp 5.0M

$224 Rp 4.1M

21.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 Rp 2.6M

$146 Rp 2.7M

-0.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 Rp 22.3M

$558 Rp 10.1M

120.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 Rp 11.1M

$365 Rp 6.6M

67.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,179 Rp 39.5M

$1,142 Rp 20.7M

90.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.4M

$803 Rp 14.6M

33.49%

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 Sibolga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 30.1%

Sibolga

$193 30.9% 6% $12

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$146 21.4%

Sibolga

$146 23.5% 0.6% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.2%

Sibolga

$99 15.8% 16% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$110 16.2%

Sibolga

$87 14% 21% $23

Eating Out

Surabaya

$62 9.1%

Sibolga

$61 9.8% 2.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Sibolga

$24 3.8% 15% $3.1

Getting Around

Surabaya

$21 3%

Sibolga

$15 2.3% 29.2% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $273 in Surabaya and $224 in Sibolga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Surabaya vs $14 in Sibolga. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $193, with Sibolga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

95,471

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Surabaya Sibolga 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
Sibolga

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 Sibolga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $682 in Surabaya and $624 in Sibolga, so Sibolga is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,022 in Surabaya and $936 in Sibolga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $273 in Surabaya versus $224 in Sibolga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Surabaya – a meal for two runs $11 versus $14 in Sibolga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $682 per month in Surabaya versus $624 in Sibolga – Sibolga is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sibolga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.