If you’re weighing a move to Indonesia’s second-largest city, the short answer is this: a single person can live comfortably in Surabaya on roughly $450–$750 a month excluding rent, while a family of four typically needs $1,300–$1,600. Add rent and you’re looking at $700–$1,200 a month for a single professional, depending on where and how you live. The cost of living in Surabaya sits well below Jakarta and Bali’s tourist zones, which is exactly why it’s become a quiet favorite among relocating professionals, remote workers, and small business owners who want city infrastructure without city prices.
This guide breaks the number down by category, so you can build a realistic budget instead of guessing.
The Quick Numbers
Cost-of-living trackers don’t fully agree with each other — Numbeo-based estimates, remittance-service data, and digital-nomad cost trackers all use slightly different baskets of goods — but the ranges converge closely enough to be useful:
- Single person, excluding rent: roughly $435–$600/month
- Family of four, excluding rent: roughly $1,340–$1,620/month
- Single person, including a 1-bedroom rental: roughly $700–$900/month
- Average local net salary: around $290–$305/month, a useful benchmark for understanding how far your foreign income stretches locally
Treat any single figure as a midpoint rather than gospel — your actual number depends heavily on whether you eat local food or imported groceries, live in a gated compound in West Surabaya or a kos in a local neighborhood, and drive a car or ride a motorbike.
Housing: The Biggest Line Item
Rent is where budgets diverge the most, and it deserves its own detailed breakdown (see our full rent guide by area and property type). As a starting reference, a one-bedroom apartment in a central or expat-favored area runs roughly $300–$450 a month, while the same unit outside the city center can drop to $150–$300. Houses and townhouses in gated developments like Citraland or Pakuwon City cost considerably more but include amenities — security, pools, clubhouses — that standalone rentals don’t.
Food and Groceries
This is where lifestyle choices matter most. Eating primarily at local warungs and street stalls, buying produce at traditional markets, and cooking at home can keep a single person’s food budget under $150 a month. Add regular meals at Western-style cafes, imported groceries from supermarkets like Ranch Market or Papaya, and the occasional restaurant dinner, and that figure climbs toward $300–$400. A useful rule of thumb: local food in Surabaya is genuinely cheap, but anything imported or “Western” carries a real markup, often double or triple the local equivalent.
Utilities and Connectivity
Basic utilities for a mid-sized apartment — electricity, water, and garbage collection — typically run around $30–$90 a month, with the wide range mostly driven by air-conditioning use, which is the single biggest electricity expense in a tropical climate. Internet and mobile data are inexpensive by international standards; a home fiber connection plus a mobile SIM with a generous data package usually adds up to $20–$35 a month combined. We cover setup specifics in our SIM card and internet guide.
Transportation
Getting around Surabaya is one of the cheapest parts of daily life. A single ride-hailing trip across town rarely exceeds $2–$3, a one-way public transport ticket costs less than $0.50, and a monthly transit pass runs around $9. If you drive, gasoline is cheap by Western standards, though most residents — foreign and local — rely on a mix of ride-hailing apps and the city’s public bus network rather than owning a car. Our getting-around guide covers which option makes sense for your daily routine.
Healthcare and Insurance
Out-of-pocket clinic visits and basic medication are inexpensive locally, but most foreigners budget separately for international health insurance rather than relying on local out-of-pocket costs alone, since private hospital care for anything serious can be costly without coverage. Expect insurance premiums to be one of the more significant recurring costs on top of daily living expenses — see our healthcare guide for which hospitals and clinics foreigners commonly use.
Schools, If You’re Relocating a Family
For families moving with children, international school tuition is by far the largest budget item — often running into the thousands of dollars per year, well above any other line item in this guide. Local and “national plus” school options exist at a fraction of the cost. We break down the tradeoffs in our expat schools guide.
Sample Monthly Budgets
Single professional, mid-range lifestyle:
Rent (1BR, decent area): $350 · Food (mixed local/Western): $250 · Utilities & internet: $60 · Transport: $60 · Miscellaneous & leisure: $150
Total: roughly $870/month
Family of four, comfortable lifestyle, local schooling:
Rent (house or townhouse): $600 · Food: $500 · Utilities: $90 · Transport: $150 · Schooling & extras: $300
Total: roughly $1,640/month
These are starting points, not fixed answers — adjust up if you want a gated community with international schooling, or down if you’re comfortable living closer to how most Surabaya residents actually live.
FAQ
Is Surabaya cheaper than Jakarta or Bali?
Yes, generally. Surabaya’s rent and dining costs typically run noticeably below Jakarta’s central districts and well below Bali’s expat hubs like Canggu or Seminyak, while still offering big-city infrastructure, hospitals, and international schools.
How much do I need to live comfortably as a single expat?
Most single professionals find $700–$1,000 a month, including rent, allows a comfortable lifestyle with a decent apartment, regular dining out, and some leisure spending. Going leaner is very possible; going more Western in lifestyle pushes the number higher.
What’s the biggest cost surprise for new arrivals?
Usually imported groceries and Western dining — a coffee at an international chain or a meal at a Western restaurant can cost close to what it would back home, even though local food remains very cheap.
Does salary in Surabaya keep up with the cost of living?
Local salaries are modest relative to global standards, which is part of why cost of living stays low — but it also means the local economy isn’t built around foreign-level spending, so budgeting in foreign currency terms is essential if you’re relocating with foreign income.
