ID flag
Jakarta

Indonesia

vs
ID flag
Surabaya

Indonesia

Climate

Jakarta logs 293 hot days a year to Surabaya's 347 — Jakarta wins by 54. Surabaya also leads on sunny days by 27.

JakartaSurabaya
Sunny days
229256
Hot days
293347
Frost days
00
Rain days
255221
Outdoor dinner months
1/120/12
Avg wind
1.8 m/s1.9 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,4292,719
Darkest month sun
130 hrs/mo141 hrs/mo
UV peak month
9.111.9

Jakarta

Feels-like °C

30
30
31
32
33
32
31
32
33
31
31
29

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Surabaya

Feels-like °C

31
31
32
34
34
33
32
33
34
34
34
31

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Jakarta averages $889/mo for balanced living; Surabaya has no cost baseline yet.

Jakarta

$889

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $671Comfort $1,486
Cheaper than 80%in Among 40 Asia cities

Surabaya

monthly · balanced

Mobility

Jakarta scores 1.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no mobility baseline.

1.8/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
TransitMotorbikeFlights

Culture

Jakarta's culture score of 3.5 sits well above Surabaya's 0.0.

3.5/5
vs
0.0/5
JakartaSurabaya
HistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Jakarta leads

Nature & Outdoors

Jakarta scores 2.3 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no nature & outdoors baseline.

2.3/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
SeaCamping

Safety

Jakarta scores 1.2 on safety (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no safety baseline.

1.2/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadEarthquakeWildfireFlooding

Career

Jakarta scores 3.7 on career (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no career baseline.

3.7/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Jakarta scores 3.2 on social & community (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no social & community baseline.

3.2/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Jakarta scores 3.2 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no food & dining baseline.

3.2/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
RestaurantsBrunchDelivery

Family

Jakarta scores 3.0 on family (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no family baseline.

3.0/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesGroceriesGymYogaSpa

Healthcare

Jakarta scores 2.7 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Surabaya has no healthcare baseline.

2.7/5
vs
/5
JakartaSurabaya
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Jakarta averages 36.8 µg/m³ (very unhealthy) PM2.5 annually versus Surabaya's 33.5 µg/m³ (unhealthy) — Surabaya breathes ~9% cleaner air (3.3 µg/m³ lower).

Jakarta

Surabaya

36.8µg/m³
33.5µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Very Unhealthy
Unhealthy

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Jakarta (40.5M) and Surabaya (6.9M) are 5.9x in population — Jakarta is the larger metro, Surabaya the smaller; on land area Jakarta spans roughly 3.5x more ground.

4.6x

Jakarta is roughly 4.6x the scale of Surabaya

Combined population & area comparison

ID flagJakarta
4.6x
ID flagSurabaya
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.ID flagJakarta40.5M5.9x
2.ID flagSurabaya6.9M1x
Area
1.ID flagJakarta4,614 km²3.5x
2.ID flagSurabaya1,304 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
158 km107 km

ID flagJakarta

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
53 km63 km

ID flagSurabaya

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Jakarta vs Surabaya

Which is cheaper, Jakarta or Surabaya?
Jakarta has an estimated monthly cost of $889.
How does the climate compare between Jakarta and Surabaya?
Sunny days: 229 vs 256 d — Surabaya higher Annual sunshine: 2,429 vs 2,719 hrs — Surabaya higher Winter sunshine: 130 vs 141 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 293 vs 347 d — Jakarta lower Frost days: 0 vs 0 d — Similar Rainy days: 255 vs 221 d — Surabaya lower
Is Jakarta or Surabaya safer?
Jakarta has a safety score of 1.2/5.
Should I move to Jakarta or Surabaya?
Jakarta and Surabaya are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Jakarta and Surabaya stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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