Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surakarta and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $589 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
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Surakarta Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surakarta and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $589 in Surakarta versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Surakarta $589
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $933 in Surakarta versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Surakarta $933
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,278 in Surakarta versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Surakarta $1,278
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Surakarta costs roughly 63% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surakarta is 57% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$10.62 MX$199

-83.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.39 Rp 206.4K

$48.35 MX$908

-76.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

$10.35 MX$194

-70.43%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

$3.69 MX$69.3

-57.99%

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

$0.53 Rp 9,655

$1.67 MX$31.29

-68.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 Rp 4,143

$1.27 MX$23.76

-81.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$3.19 MX$59.9

-56.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

$5.31 MX$99.6

-47.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$1.72 MX$32.38

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

$3.04 MX$57.1

-75.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$1.94 MX$36.44

-61.34%

Eggs

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$2.89 MX$54.2

-65.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.78 Rp 141.0K

$10.97 MX$206

-29.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$9.25 MX$174

-82.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.32 Rp 96.4K

$15.13 MX$284

-64.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$3.05 MX$57.2

-35.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.94 MX$36.45

-32.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

$2.03 MX$38.02

-11.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

$2.31 MX$43.46

-38.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

$2.04 MX$38.21

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 Rp 29.7K

$1.80 MX$33.79

-8.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 Rp 9,559

$1.48 MX$27.77

-64.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,776

$1.27 MX$23.80

-66.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

$5.30 MX$99.6

-63.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 Rp 149.2K

$16.10 MX$302

-48.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 Rp 29.2K

$1.98 MX$37.23

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.7K

$4.25 MX$79.8

-30.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 Rp 7,394

$0.31 MX$5.73

32.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.35 Rp 205.6K

$19.73 MX$371

-42.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,480

$1.84 MX$34.50

-74.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,739

$0.53 MX$10.02

-18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

$5.30 MX$99.4

-51.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

$1.51 MX$28.36

-48.34%

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

$25.0K Rp 453.6M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

15.07%

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

$32.9K Rp 596.2M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

37.17%

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

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$63.0 MX$1,182

23.37%

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

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$27.39 MX$514

-92.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 Rp 339.3K

$35.67 MX$670

-47.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.13 Rp 292.3K

$58.9 MX$1,107

-72.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 150.6K

$23.64 MX$444

-64.85%

Cinema Ticket

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$6.40 MX$120

-70.63%

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

$33.22 Rp 601.9K

$432 MX$8,103

-92.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-83.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

$68.2 MX$1,281

-13.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.70 Rp 665.0K

$53.1 MX$997

-30.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

$108 MX$2,023

-36.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

$117 MX$2,202

-44.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-80.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 Rp 2.7M

$710 MX$13.3K

-79.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.1M

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-78.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 Rp 6.7M

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-73.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-69.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$712 Rp 12.9M

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-66.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$155 Rp 2.8M

$946 MX$17.8K

-83.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

11.35

-33.92%

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

Last update for Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surakarta

$147 25%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 117% $172

Accommodation & Living

Surakarta

$147 25%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 382% $563

Clothing & Footwear

Surakarta

$103 17.5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 51% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surakarta

$98 16.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 28% $28

Eating Out

Surakarta

$57 9.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 248% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Surakarta

$20 3.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 261% $52

Getting Around

Surakarta

$16 2.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 63.4% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Surakarta and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Surakarta vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $147 vs $320 per month, with Surakarta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

09:17 9:17 AM

13 h behind Surakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,421

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surakarta Mexico City 16,530 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Surakarta
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $589 in Surakarta and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Surakarta is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Surakarta runs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $33 in Surakarta versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $589 in Surakarta versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Surakarta but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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.

Expats usually find Surakarta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.