Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surakarta and Alwar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alwar: $316 a month against $509 in Surakarta, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Alwar
Learn more

Alwar Living Index

Jump to prices

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$509

/mo nomad

Alwar

🇮🇳 India

$316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surakarta and in Alwar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Surakarta and in Alwar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Surakarta versus $316 in Alwar.

Surakarta $509
Alwar $316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $817 in Surakarta versus $491 in Alwar.

Surakarta $817
Alwar $491

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,124 in Surakarta versus $667 in Alwar.

Surakarta $1,124
Alwar $667

Living in Surakarta is roughly 61% more expensive than in Alwar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surakarta 62% lower, Alwar 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

$1.85 ₹176

-11.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.59 Rp 208.7K

$5.13 ₹487

125.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.20 Rp 57.6K

$2.15 ₹204

48.84%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 27.9K

$1.23 ₹117

26.02%

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

$0.54 Rp 9,772

$0.22 ₹20.92

145.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$0.09 ₹8.46

177.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$0.86 ₹81.8

63.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 Rp 49.6K

$1.90 ₹180

45.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$0.55 ₹52.6

58.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$0.43 ₹40.78

69.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$0.77 ₹72.7

Eggs

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

$0.73 ₹68.9

31.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 Rp 137.2K

$3.44 ₹327

121.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 30.7K

$3.09 ₹293

-44.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.40 Rp 97.3K

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.3K

$1.41 ₹134

42.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$0.47 ₹44.73

170.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

$0.65 ₹61.9

178.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$0.39 ₹37.32

251.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$0.29 ₹27.68

372.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

$0.36 ₹34.62

369.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

$0.38 ₹36.23

52.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,732

$0.30 ₹28.85

43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

$3.61 ₹343

-45.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 Rp 151.9K

$7.51 ₹713

12.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

$1.35 ₹128

25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 Rp 52.3K

$1.12 ₹106

158.93%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$7.35 ₹698

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,244

$0.49 ₹46.51

-18.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.88 Rp 393.8K

$7.80 ₹741

180.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,071

$0.32 ₹30.57

56.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,709

$0.18 ₹17.19

138.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.3K

$1.04 ₹98.6

158.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.11 ₹106

-31.53%

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

$24.5K Rp 440.7M

$10.3K ₹980.7K

137.05%

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

$32.3K Rp 582.1M

$19.5K ₹1.9M

65.51%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$34.83 ₹3,307

122.60%

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

$2.10 Rp 37.8K

$3.35 ₹318

-37.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.23 Rp 328.2K

$4.78 ₹454

281.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 Rp 283.3K

$13.89 ₹1,319

13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

$6.94 ₹659

21.18%

Cinema Ticket

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$3.16 ₹300

-38.92%

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

$33.42 Rp 601.5K

$20.79 ₹1,974

60.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,845 Rp 33.2M

$632 ₹60.1K

191.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 Rp 1.1M

$17.49 ₹1,661

238.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.67 Rp 642.0K

$19.69 ₹1,870

81.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 Rp 1.3M

$20.67 ₹1,963

239.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

$20.49 ₹1,946

214.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 Rp 3.0M

$47.45 ₹4,506

253.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.6 Rp 1.0M

$74.5 ₹7,071

-24.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$260 ₹24.7K

29.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 Rp 3.5M

$172 ₹16.3K

11.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$975 ₹92.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$514 ₹48.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$158 Rp 2.8M

$379 ₹36.0K

-58.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

8.33

-9.96%

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

Last update for Surakarta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alwar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surakarta

$148 29.2%

Alwar

$87 27.5% 41.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Surakarta

$103 20.3%

Alwar

$35 11.2% 65.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surakarta

$98 19.2%

Alwar

$43 13.6% 56.1% $55

Eating Out

Surakarta

$57 11.2%

Alwar

$45 14.4% 20.5% $12

Accommodation & Living

Surakarta

$57 11.1%

Alwar

$74 23.6% 31.6% $18

Getting Around

Surakarta

$26 5.1%

Alwar

$11 3.5% 57.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Surakarta

$20 3.9%

Alwar

$20 6.4% 3.2% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $168 in Surakarta and $47.45 in Alwar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alwar pays 140% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12.00 in Surakarta vs $5.00 in Alwar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $148 vs $87.0 per month, with Alwar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🇮🇳 Alwar

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

14:11 2:11 PM

1 h 30 min behind Surakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,421

260,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surakarta Alwar 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Surakarta
Alwar

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

Surakarta vs Alwar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alwar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 140% lower in Alwar. 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: $168 in Surakarta versus $47.45 in Alwar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $509 per month in Surakarta versus $316 in Alwar – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alwar runs roughly 181% less than in Surakarta. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

Expats usually find Alwar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Surakarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.