Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surakarta and Jakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $589 a month against $772 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
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Surakarta Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surakarta and in Jakarta

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

A single person spends $589 per month in Surakarta vs $772 in Jakarta, rent included.

Surakarta $589
Jakarta $772

A couple spends around $933 per month in Surakarta vs $1,257 in Jakarta, rent included.

Surakarta $933
Jakarta $1,257

A family of three spends $1,278 per month in Surakarta vs $1,741 in Jakarta, rent included.

Surakarta $1,278
Jakarta $1,741

Surakarta is about 24% cheaper than Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Surakarta and Jakarta are more affordable than the global median – Surakarta 57% lower, Jakarta 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.71 Rp 49.1K

-37.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.39 Rp 206.4K

$16.34 Rp 296.0K

-30.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

$3.24 Rp 58.7K

-5.56%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

$2.02 Rp 36.6K

-23.27%

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

$0.53 Rp 9,655

$0.41 Rp 7,467

29.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 Rp 4,143

$0.26 Rp 4,715

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$2.49 Rp 45.2K

-43.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

$3.89 Rp 70.6K

-28.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-37.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

-31.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

-10.71%

Eggs

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.76 Rp 32.0K

-43.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 Rp 141.0K

$9.22 Rp 167.2K

-15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$2.95 Rp 53.5K

-45.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.32 Rp 96.4K

$7.34 Rp 133.1K

-27.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$2.73 Rp 49.4K

-27.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.35 Rp 24.4K

-3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

$2.48 Rp 44.9K

-27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

2.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

-0.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 Rp 29.7K

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

-19.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 Rp 9,559

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

-44.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,776

$0.50 Rp 9,022

-14.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

$2.79 Rp 50.6K

-30.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 Rp 149.2K

$21.05 Rp 381.5K

-60.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 Rp 29.2K

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

-20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.7K

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 Rp 7,394

$0.16 Rp 2,939

156.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.35 Rp 205.6K

$11.69 Rp 211.8K

-2.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,480

$0.49 Rp 8,944

-4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,739

$0.32 Rp 5,780

34.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

$3.28 Rp 59.5K

-21.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

-9.30%

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

$25.0K Rp 453.6M

$27.0K Rp 489.2M

-7.28%

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

$32.9K Rp 596.2M

$32.7K Rp 592.4M

0.65%

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

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$107 Rp 1.9M

-27.40%

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

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$5.99 Rp 108.5K

-65.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 Rp 339.3K

$19.06 Rp 345.4K

-1.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.13 Rp 292.3K

$19.34 Rp 350.5K

-16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 150.6K

$13.90 Rp 251.8K

-40.22%

Cinema Ticket

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$3.11 Rp 56.3K

-39.55%

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

$33.22 Rp 601.9K

$238 Rp 4.3M

-86.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

$8,010 Rp 145.1M

-77.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

2.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.70 Rp 665.0K

$27.82 Rp 504.2K

31.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

$70.5 Rp 1.3M

-3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

$103 Rp 1.9M

-36.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$355 Rp 6.4M

-37.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.7M

$191 Rp 3.5M

-22.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.1M

$1,123 Rp 20.4M

-50.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 Rp 6.7M

$544 Rp 9.9M

-32.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

$2,742 Rp 49.7M

-59.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$712 Rp 12.9M

$1,506 Rp 27.3M

-52.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$155 Rp 2.8M

$441 Rp 8.0M

-64.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

9.46

-20.72%

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

Last update for Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surakarta

$147 25%

Jakarta

$214 27.7% 45.3% $67

Accommodation & Living

Surakarta

$147 25%

Jakarta

$191 24.7% 29.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Surakarta

$103 17.5%

Jakarta

$116 15.1% 12.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surakarta

$98 16.7%

Jakarta

$132 17.1% 34.1% $34

Eating Out

Surakarta

$57 9.7%

Jakarta

$79 10.2% 37.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Surakarta

$20 3.4%

Jakarta

$26 3.3% 28.4% $5.7

Getting Around

Surakarta

$16 2.7%

Jakarta

$14 1.9% 7.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Surakarta versus $355 in Jakarta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jakarta are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Surakarta versus $16 in Jakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $214 – making Surakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

Same time as Surakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,421

11,337,563 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Surakarta Jakarta 470 km

From you

Surakarta
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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

Surakarta vs Jakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta costs about 31% more than Surakarta, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $883 per month in Surakarta and $1,159 in Jakarta. 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 $355 in Jakarta.

Kindergarten costs $33 per month in Surakarta and $238 in Jakarta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Jakarta, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $589 in Surakarta and $772 in Jakarta, 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, Jakarta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.