Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surakarta and Gwalior

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwalior: $338 a month against $589 in Surakarta, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Gwalior
Learn more

Gwalior Living Index

Jump to prices

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Gwalior

🇮🇳 India

$338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surakarta and in Gwalior

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $589 in Surakarta versus $338 in Gwalior.

Surakarta $589
Gwalior $338

Estimated couple costs with rent: $933 in Surakarta versus $515 in Gwalior.

Surakarta $933
Gwalior $515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,278 in Surakarta versus $691 in Gwalior.

Surakarta $1,278
Gwalior $691

Living in Surakarta is roughly 74% more expensive than in Gwalior, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surakarta 57% lower, Gwalior 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.15 ₹204

-20.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.39 Rp 206.6K

$8.17 ₹776

39.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

$2.78 ₹264

10.07%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

$1.49 ₹141

4.03%

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

$0.53 Rp 9,664

$0.29 ₹27.96

82.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 Rp 4,147

$0.14 ₹13.66

64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.40 Rp 25.5K

$1.34 ₹127

4.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

$2.68 ₹254

3.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$0.67 ₹63.2

28.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

$0.38 ₹36.22

94.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.59 ₹55.6

27.12%

Eggs

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

$0.87 ₹82.5

14.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 Rp 141.1K

$3.36 ₹319

131.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$2.52 ₹239

-35.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.32 Rp 96.5K

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.30 ₹124

51.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

$0.52 ₹49.00

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

$0.69 ₹66.0

160.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

$0.47 ₹44.56

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

$0.24 ₹22.77

466.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$0.39 ₹36.77

320.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 Rp 9,568

$0.50 ₹47.82

6.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,783

$0.30 ₹28.67

43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

$3.18 ₹302

-39.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 Rp 149.3K

$8.05 ₹765

2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

$1.65 ₹157

-2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$2.91 ₹276

2.06%

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

$6.30 ₹598

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 Rp 7,401

$0.22 ₹20.93

86.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.35 Rp 205.8K

$3.34 ₹317

239.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,488

$0.69 ₹65.9

-31.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,747

$0.22 ₹20.91

95.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

$1.28 ₹122

101.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

$1.09 ₹104

-28.44%

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

$25.0K Rp 454.0M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

120.19%

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

$32.9K Rp 596.8M

$19.8K ₹1.9M

65.95%

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

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$44.04 ₹4,181

76.43%

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

$2.06 Rp 37.3K

$3.20 ₹303

-35.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 Rp 339.7K

$5.55 ₹527

237.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.13 Rp 292.6K

$11.49 ₹1,091

40.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

$6.69 ₹635

24.22%

Cinema Ticket

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$3.59 ₹341

-47.63%

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

$33.22 Rp 602.5K

$39.57 ₹3,757

-16.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

$1,445 ₹137.2K

27.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

$24.80 ₹2,355

137.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.70 Rp 665.7K

$24.77 ₹2,352

48.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

$37.49 ₹3,560

81.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

$16.03 ₹1,521

309.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$96.9 ₹9,197

129.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.7M

$65.8 ₹6,247

123.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.1M

$185 ₹17.5K

202.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 Rp 6.7M

$131 ₹12.4K

180.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

$582 ₹55.3K

89.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$712 Rp 12.9M

$330 ₹31.3K

115.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$155 Rp 2.8M

$542 ₹51.5K

-71.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

8.55

-12.28%

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

Last update for Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gwalior: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surakarta

$147 25%

Gwalior

$91 27% 38.2% $56

Accommodation & Living

Surakarta

$147 25%

Gwalior

$66 19.5% 55.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Surakarta

$103 17.5%

Gwalior

$46 13.7% 55.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surakarta

$98 16.7%

Gwalior

$53 15.6% 46.4% $46

Eating Out

Surakarta

$57 9.7%

Gwalior

$57 16.9% 0.2% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Surakarta

$20 3.4%

Gwalior

$19 5.5% 6.2% $1.2

Getting Around

Surakarta

$16 2.7%

Gwalior

$6 1.8% 61.4% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Surakarta and $97 in Gwalior. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwalior pays about 3.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11 in Surakarta vs $8 in Gwalior for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $147 vs $91 per month, with Gwalior cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🇮🇳 Gwalior

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

1 h 30 min behind Surakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,421

500,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surakarta Gwalior 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Surakarta
Gwalior

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 Gwalior: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwalior wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Surakarta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gwalior the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Surakarta. 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: $223 in Surakarta versus $97 in Gwalior. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $589 per month in Surakarta versus $338 in Gwalior – Gwalior is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Gwalior runs roughly 71% less than in Surakarta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Gwalior 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 Gwalior gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Surakarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.