Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Surakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $589 a month against $685 in Surabaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index

Jump to prices

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$685

/mo nomad

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surabaya and in Surakarta

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Surabaya vs $589 in Surakarta, rent included.

Surabaya $685
Surakarta $589

A couple spends around $1,189 per month in Surabaya vs $933 in Surakarta, rent included.

Surabaya $1,189
Surakarta $933

A family of three spends $1,693 per month in Surabaya vs $1,278 in Surakarta, rent included.

Surabaya $1,693
Surakarta $1,278

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

Both Surabaya and Surakarta are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 50% lower, Surakarta 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-1.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.51 Rp 208.8K

$11.39 Rp 206.6K

1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 Rp 56.4K

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

1.63%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

-0.65%

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

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

$0.53 Rp 9,664

11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,121

$0.23 Rp 4,147

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.40 Rp 25.5K

59.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 Rp 76.2K

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

51.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

45.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 Rp 22.8K

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

68.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

8.00%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

18.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.2K

$7.78 Rp 141.1K

-5.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

86.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.3K

$5.32 Rp 96.5K

39.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.1K

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

3.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.3K

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

-1.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

$0.53 Rp 9,568

81.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,107

$0.43 Rp 7,783

-9.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.42 Rp 443.0K

$8.23 Rp 149.3K

196.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,844

$0.41 Rp 7,401

-34.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.60 Rp 301.1K

$11.35 Rp 205.8K

46.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,493

$0.47 Rp 8,488

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,178

$0.43 Rp 7,747

4.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

-0.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

3.85%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.6M

$25.0K Rp 454.0M

-2.74%

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

$31.7K Rp 574.4M

$32.9K Rp 596.8M

-3.75%

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

$86.6 Rp 1.6M

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

11.39%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.8K

$2.06 Rp 37.3K

121.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 Rp 353.4K

$18.73 Rp 339.7K

4.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.35 Rp 278.4K

$16.13 Rp 292.6K

-4.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 118.4K

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

-21.42%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

39.36%

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

$270 Rp 4.9M

$33.22 Rp 602.5K

713.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,294 Rp 168.6M

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

404.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

17.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 Rp 693.7K

$36.70 Rp 665.7K

4.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

13.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 Rp 5.0M

$223 Rp 4.0M

23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$147 Rp 2.7M

0.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 Rp 21.8M

$559 Rp 10.1M

115.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 Rp 11.0M

$367 Rp 6.7M

65.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,146 Rp 38.9M

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

94.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,065 Rp 19.3M

$712 Rp 12.9M

49.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$155 Rp 2.8M

71.42%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$205 29.8%

Surakarta

$147 25% 27.9% $57

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$148 21.5%

Surakarta

$147 25% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$117 17.1%

Surakarta

$103 17.5% 12% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.1%

Surakarta

$98 16.7% 11% $12

Eating Out

Surabaya

$64 9.4%

Surakarta

$57 9.7% 11.2% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$21 3%

Surakarta

$20 3.4% 3.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Surabaya

$20 3%

Surakarta

$16 2.7% 23.6% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Surabaya versus $223 in Surakarta. 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 71% 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 Surakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $147 – making Surakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

Same time as Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

503,421

💱 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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Surabaya Surakarta 210 km

From you

Surabaya
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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 Surakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $685 in Surabaya, $589 in Surakarta – Surakarta comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,028 per month in Surabaya and $883 in Surakarta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surakarta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $274 in Surabaya.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Surabaya, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $685 in Surabaya and $589 in Surakarta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Surakarta – 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 Surakarta. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surabaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.