Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surakarta and Denpasar, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $509 a month against $901 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
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Denpasar, Bali Living Index

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Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$509

/mo nomad

Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surakarta and in Denpasar, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Surakarta versus $901 in Denpasar, Bali.

Surakarta $509
Denpasar, Bali $901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $817 in Surakarta versus $1,508 in Denpasar, Bali.

Surakarta $817
Denpasar, Bali $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,124 in Surakarta versus $2,114 in Denpasar, Bali.

Surakarta $1,124
Denpasar, Bali $2,114

Living in Surakarta costs roughly 44% less than in Denpasar, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surakarta 62% lower, Denpasar, Bali 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

$2.18 Rp 39.2K

-25.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.59 Rp 208.7K

$23.40 Rp 421.2K

-50.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.20 Rp 57.6K

$3.76 Rp 67.7K

-14.89%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 27.9K

$1.84 Rp 33.1K

-15.76%

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

$0.54 Rp 9,772

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

-56.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

-18.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 Rp 49.6K

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

-3.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$1.22 Rp 22.0K

-28.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.87 Rp 33.6K

-60.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

-18.09%

Eggs

$0.96 Rp 17.3K

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

-45.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 Rp 137.2K

$13.93 Rp 250.7K

-45.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 30.7K

$3.21 Rp 57.8K

-46.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.40 Rp 97.3K

$9.96 Rp 179.2K

-45.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.3K

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

-29.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.31 Rp 23.5K

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

-0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$1.61 Rp 29.1K

-14.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

-7.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

$1.94 Rp 34.9K

-12.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

-24.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,732

$0.44 Rp 7,874

-2.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

7.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 Rp 151.9K

$18.51 Rp 333.2K

-54.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 Rp 30.4K

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

-11.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 Rp 52.3K

$2.38 Rp 42.8K

21.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,244

$0.22 Rp 3,947

81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.88 Rp 393.8K

$7.14 Rp 128.5K

206.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,071

$0.39 Rp 7,042

28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,709

$0.42 Rp 7,509

2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.3K

$3.13 Rp 56.4K

-14.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

2.70%

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

$24.5K Rp 440.7M

$22.1K Rp 397.2M

10.94%

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

$32.3K Rp 582.1M

$28.1K Rp 506.3M

14.97%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$74.5 Rp 1.3M

4.07%

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

$2.10 Rp 37.8K

$5.86 Rp 105.5K

-64.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.23 Rp 328.2K

$16.81 Rp 302.6K

8.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 Rp 283.3K

$39.47 Rp 710.5K

-60.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

$13.07 Rp 235.3K

-35.65%

Cinema Ticket

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$3.16 Rp 56.9K

-38.92%

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

$33.42 Rp 601.5K

$373 Rp 6.7M

-91.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,845 Rp 33.2M

$4,499 Rp 81.0M

-58.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 Rp 1.1M

$38.34 Rp 690.1K

54.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.67 Rp 642.0K

$30.00 Rp 540.1K

18.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 Rp 1.3M

$68.9 Rp 1.2M

1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

$67.1 Rp 1.2M

-3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 Rp 3.0M

$589 Rp 10.6M

-71.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.6 Rp 1.0M

$349 Rp 6.3M

-83.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 Rp 6.1M

$1,874 Rp 33.7M

-81.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 Rp 3.5M

$901 Rp 16.2M

-78.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,429 Rp 25.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 Rp 21.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$158 Rp 2.8M

$279 Rp 5.0M

-43.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

13.78

-45.57%

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

Last update for Surakarta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surakarta

$148 29.2%

Denpasar, Bali

$235 26.1% 58.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Surakarta

$103 20.3%

Denpasar, Bali

$92 10.2% 10.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surakarta

$98 19.2%

Denpasar, Bali

$97 10.8% 0.7% $0.7

Eating Out

Surakarta

$57 11.2%

Denpasar, Bali

$72 8% 25.8% $15

Accommodation & Living

Surakarta

$57 11.1%

Denpasar, Bali

$349 38.8% 517% $292

Getting Around

Surakarta

$26 5.1%

Denpasar, Bali

$10 1.2% 59.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Surakarta

$20 3.9%

Denpasar, Bali

$46 5.1% 134% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $168 in Surakarta and $589 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denpasar, Bali pays 76% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $12.00 in Surakarta vs $23.00 in Denpasar, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $148 vs $235 per month, with Surakarta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

12:23 12:23 PM

1 h ahead of Surakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,421

788,445

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Surakarta Denpasar, Bali 500 km

From you

Surakarta
Denpasar, Bali

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 Denpasar, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surakarta and Denpasar, Bali differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($509 vs $901 including rent). Surakarta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Denpasar, Bali. 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 $589 in Denpasar, Bali. 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 $901 in Denpasar, Bali – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surakarta runs roughly 206% less than in Denpasar, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $509 in Surakarta versus $901 in Denpasar, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surakarta but tight or insufficient in Denpasar, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Surakarta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Surakarta and Denpasar, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Surakarta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Denpasar, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.