Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and South Tangerang

For one person, living is cheaper in South Tangerang: $654 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $370 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in South Tangerang
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South Tangerang Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

South Tangerang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in South Tangerang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $685 in Surabaya versus $654 in South Tangerang.

Surabaya $685
South Tangerang $654

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Surabaya versus $997 in South Tangerang.

Surabaya $1,189
South Tangerang $997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,693 in Surabaya versus $1,341 in South Tangerang.

Surabaya $1,693
South Tangerang $1,341

Living in Surabaya is roughly 5% more expensive than in South Tangerang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surabaya 50% lower, South Tangerang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$1.69 Rp 30.6K

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 208.8K

$13.56 Rp 246.0K

-15.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

$3.38 Rp 61.4K

-7.99%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

0.65%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.45 Rp 8,144

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,121

$0.24 Rp 4,379

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.53 Rp 45.9K

-11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.2K

$3.10 Rp 56.3K

35.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$1.17 Rp 21.2K

6.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

22.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

-8.99%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

-31.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.2K

$6.98 Rp 126.6K

5.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

1.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.3K

$8.00 Rp 145.1K

-7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

$2.75 Rp 49.8K

-25.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

$1.19 Rp 21.7K

4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.93 Rp 35.0K

-3.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

22.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

$1.37 Rp 24.9K

-2.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

-7.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

12.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,107

$0.47 Rp 8,476

-17.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

-25.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 443.0K

$21.04 Rp 381.7K

16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

-8.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$3.10 Rp 56.2K

-4.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,844

$0.20 Rp 3,643

35.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 301.1K

$16.31 Rp 295.8K

1.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,493

$0.53 Rp 9,671

-11.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,178

$0.32 Rp 5,781

40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

16.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

-10.99%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.6M

$22.1K Rp 400.1M

10.36%

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

$31.7K Rp 574.4M

$32.3K Rp 586.7M

-2.09%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$52.5 Rp 952.6K

64.79%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.8K

$6.19 Rp 112.2K

-26.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.4K

$19.22 Rp 348.6K

1.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.4K

$25.57 Rp 463.9K

-39.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.4K

$9.08 Rp 164.6K

-28.08%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

-3.68%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$116 Rp 2.1M

132.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.6M

$8,091 Rp 146.8M

14.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$38.89 Rp 705.3K

77.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 693.7K

$28.19 Rp 511.2K

35.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$71.0 Rp 1.3M

10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$208 Rp 3.8M

31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$166 Rp 3.0M

-11.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.8M

$373 Rp 6.8M

222.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$307 Rp 5.6M

97.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

$1,143 Rp 20.7M

87.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

$927 Rp 16.8M

14.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$437 Rp 7.9M

-39.26%

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: October 27, 2026

Last update for South Tangerang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

South Tangerang

$202 30.8% 1.4% $2.8

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

South Tangerang

$166 25.4% 12.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

South Tangerang

$94 14.4% 19.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

South Tangerang

$78 11.9% 29.5% $33

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

South Tangerang

$64 9.7% 0.9% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

South Tangerang

$31 4.8% 50.6% $10

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

South Tangerang

$19 2.9% 5.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Surabaya and $208 in South Tangerang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Tangerang pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12 in Surabaya vs $14 in South Tangerang. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $202, with South Tangerang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 South Tangerang

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

1,290,322

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Surabaya South Tangerang 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
South Tangerang

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 South Tangerang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Tangerang is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Surabaya. 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: $274 in Surabaya versus $208 in South Tangerang. 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 $12 versus $14 in South Tangerang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $270 in Surabaya versus $116 in South Tangerang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though South Tangerang 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.