Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $2,588 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,588

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abu Dhabi and in Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abu Dhabi and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,588 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,224 in Bali.

Abu Dhabi $2,588
Bali $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,950 in Abu Dhabi versus $2,064 in Bali.

Abu Dhabi $3,950
Bali $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,312 in Abu Dhabi versus $2,904 in Bali.

Abu Dhabi $5,312
Bali $2,904

Living in Abu Dhabi is roughly 111% more expensive than in Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abu Dhabi is 93% above, Bali is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 AED 29.58

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

193.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.7 AED 197

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

81.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 AED 35.38

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

103.16%

Cappuccino

$5.79 AED 21.27

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

160.81%

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

$1.17 AED 4.28

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

-14.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.40 AED 41.86

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

415.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.76 AED 43.18

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

224.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 AED 7.36

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 AED 5.89

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

-26.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 AED 8.33

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

102.68%

Eggs

$3.44 AED 12.64

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

74.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 AED 42.47

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

-29.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 AED 34.80

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

160.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.21 AED 37.51

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

-11.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 AED 9.20

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

-25.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 AED 7.49

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

39.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 AED 6.88

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

-13.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 AED 5.89

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

-15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 AED 4.44

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

-45.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.08

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

76.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 AED 2.10

$0.48 Rp 8,577

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.49 AED 23.83

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

203.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 AED 49.65

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

-38.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 AED 9.32

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

-7.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 AED 2.45

$0.26 Rp 4,661

157.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.63 AED 97.8

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

229.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.08

$0.44 Rp 7,853

647.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 AED 2.08

$0.42 Rp 7,491

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 AED 30.50

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

46.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.60

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

8.89%

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

$29.9K AED 109.8K

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

23.30%

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

$21.9K AED 80.6K

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

-30.37%

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

$193 AED 708

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

140.74%

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

$56.8 AED 209

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

756.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 AED 326

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

384.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$96.1 AED 353

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

110.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.64 AED 160

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

186.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 AED 55.8

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

309.70%

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

$781 AED 2,867

$442 Rp 7.9M

76.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K AED 54.6K

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

183.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 AED 230

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

41.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.25 AED 177

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

41.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 AED 404

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

42.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 AED 411

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

49.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 AED 7,143

$994 Rp 17.8M

95.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 AED 5,095

$588 Rp 10.5M

135.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,954 AED 14.5K

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

28.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,722 AED 9,998

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

82.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,896 AED 18.0K

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

105.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,856 AED 10.5K

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

41.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,881 AED 10.6K

$223 Rp 4.0M

1191.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

13.78

-66.98%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54.1%

Bali

$588 48% 57.6% $799

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abu Dhabi

$338 13.2%

Bali

$105 8.6% 69% $233

Groceries & Markets

Abu Dhabi

$276 10.8%

Bali

$274 22.4% 0.7% $2

Eating Out

Abu Dhabi

$250 9.7%

Bali

$89 7.3% 64.3% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Abu Dhabi

$150 5.9%

Bali

$104 8.5% 30.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Abu Dhabi

$127 4.9%

Bali

$53 4.3% 58.1% $74

Getting Around

Abu Dhabi

$35 1.4%

Bali

$12 1% 67.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,945 in Abu Dhabi and $994 in Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abu Dhabi pays 1192% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $54.0 in Abu Dhabi vs $30.00 in Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $274 per month, with Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

4 h ahead of Abu Dhabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

921,000 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abu Dhabi Bali 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Abu Dhabi
Bali

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

Abu Dhabi vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1192% higher in Abu Dhabi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,945 in Abu Dhabi versus $994 in Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bali runs roughly 230% less than in Abu Dhabi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $781 in Abu Dhabi versus $442 in Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,224 in Bali versus $2,588 in Abu Dhabi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bali but tight or insufficient in Abu Dhabi. The gap between the two cities makes Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,224 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Abu Dhabi and Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Abu Dhabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.