Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surakarta and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $509 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
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Surakarta Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$509

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surakarta and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $509 per month in Surakarta vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Surakarta $509
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $817 per month in Surakarta vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Surakarta $817
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,124 per month in Surakarta vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Surakarta $1,124
Budapest $3,429

Surakarta is about 69% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surakarta sits 62% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-88.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.59 Rp 208.7K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-81.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.20 Rp 57.6K

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-68.60%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 27.9K

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-52.45%

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

$0.54 Rp 9,772

$2.14 Ft 690

-74.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$1.78 Ft 577

-85.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-61.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 Rp 49.6K

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-26.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$1.15 Ft 371

-24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.79 Ft 578

-59.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$2.49 Ft 804

-69.08%

Eggs

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-75.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 Rp 137.2K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-31.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 30.7K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-74.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.40 Rp 97.3K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-63.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.3K

$1.83 Ft 591

9.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$2.05 Ft 661

-38.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

$2.37 Ft 765

-23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-64.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$0.99 Ft 320

38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

$1.00 Ft 322

69.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

$1.58 Ft 511

-63.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,732

$0.67 Ft 216

-35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-75.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 Rp 151.9K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

35.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

$1.27 Ft 411

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 Rp 52.3K

$2.03 Ft 654

42.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,244

$1.52 Ft 490

-73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.88 Rp 393.8K

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-21.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,071

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-84.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,709

$1.37 Ft 442

-68.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.3K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-86.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.82 Ft 589

-58.24%

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

$24.5K Rp 440.7M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-17.84%

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

$32.3K Rp 582.1M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-4.36%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$171 Ft 55.3K

-54.69%

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

$2.10 Rp 37.8K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-91.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.23 Rp 328.2K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-21.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 Rp 283.3K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-76.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-55.48%

Cinema Ticket

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-79.25%

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

$33.42 Rp 601.5K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-93.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,845 Rp 33.2M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-88.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 Rp 1.1M

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.67 Rp 642.0K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-17.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 Rp 1.3M

$110 Ft 35.7K

-36.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

$119 Ft 38.4K

-45.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 Rp 3.0M

$830 Ft 268.3K

-79.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.6 Rp 1.0M

$622 Ft 200.9K

-90.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-78.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 Rp 3.5M

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-83.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$158 Rp 2.8M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-90.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

6.45

16.28%

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

Last update for Surakarta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surakarta

$148 29.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 73.9% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Surakarta

$103 20.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 62.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surakarta

$98 19.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 123% $120

Eating Out

Surakarta

$57 11.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 291% $166

Accommodation & Living

Surakarta

$57 11.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 999% $565

Getting Around

Surakarta

$26 5.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 69.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Surakarta

$20 3.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 339% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $168 in Surakarta versus $830 in Budapest. 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 946% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Surakarta versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $148 vs $258 – making Surakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

5 h behind Surakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,421

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surakarta Budapest 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Surakarta
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 218%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $763 per month in Surakarta and $2,428 in Budapest. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Surakarta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $33.42 per month in Surakarta and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surakarta, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Surakarta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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