Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajman and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $2,417 in Ajman, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,417

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ajman 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 Ajman and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,417 in Ajman versus $1,224 in Bali.

Ajman $2,417
Bali $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,520 in Ajman versus $2,064 in Bali.

Ajman $4,520
Bali $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,623 in Ajman versus $2,904 in Bali.

Ajman $6,623
Bali $2,904

Living in Ajman is roughly 97% more expensive than in Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ajman is 80% above, Bali is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

114.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.68 AED 102

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

-6.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 AED 30.37

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

74.47%

Cappuccino

$3.82 AED 14.02

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

72.07%

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

$0.78 AED 2.88

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

-43.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 AED 1.36

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

-43.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.84 AED 39.82

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

390.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.41 AED 45.59

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

242.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 AED 7.32

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

38.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 AED 4.94

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

-37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 AED 5.55

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

34.82%

Eggs

$2.06 AED 7.56

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

4.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 AED 29.05

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

-51.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.67 AED 20.83

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

56.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.27 AED 30.38

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

-28.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 AED 6.87

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

-44.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 AED 4.65

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

-13.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 AED 5.54

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

-29.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.88 AED 3.22

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

-53.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 AED 3.82

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

-42.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 AED 3.93

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

-52.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

-12.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 AED 2.02

$0.48 Rp 8,577

14.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.15 AED 22.60

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

187.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 AED 39.57

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

-50.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 AED 5.91

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 AED 8.15

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

-19.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.14 AED 15.21

$0.26 Rp 4,661

1492.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 AED 249

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

738.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 AED 12.96

$0.44 Rp 7,853

702.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 AED 2.56

$0.42 Rp 7,491

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 AED 29.44

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

41.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 AED 3.07

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

-6.67%

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

$46.1K AED 169.3K

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

90.09%

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

$22.4K AED 82.2K

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

-28.95%

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

$151 AED 553

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

88.04%

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

$50.1 AED 184

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

655.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 AED 313

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

364.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.8 AED 282

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

68.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.87 AED 36.25

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

-35.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.42 AED 49.30

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

261.73%

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

$491 AED 1,802

$442 Rp 7.9M

10.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,675 AED 20.8K

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

8.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 AED 212

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

30.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.4 AED 229

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

82.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 AED 309

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 AED 348

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 AED 9,288

$994 Rp 17.8M

154.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 AED 5,073

$588 Rp 10.5M

134.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,788 AED 6,568

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

-42.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,632 AED 17.0K

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

209.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,249 AED 8,259

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

-5.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,412 AED 5,186

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

-29.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,279 AED 8,372

$223 Rp 4.0M

921.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-63.72%

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

Last update for Ajman: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajman

$1.4K 57.6%

Bali

$588 48% 57.4% $793

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajman

$286 11.9%

Bali

$105 8.6% 63.2% $181

Eating Out

Ajman

$201 8.4%

Bali

$89 7.3% 55.7% $112

Groceries & Markets

Ajman

$201 8.4%

Bali

$274 22.4% 36.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Ajman

$135 5.6%

Bali

$104 8.5% 22.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ajman

$104 4.3%

Bali

$53 4.3% 48.9% $51

Getting Around

Ajman

$91 3.8%

Bali

$12 1% 87.2% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,529 in Ajman and $994 in Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ajman pays 922% 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: $28.00 in Ajman vs $30.00 in Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $274 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ajman

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

4 h ahead of Ajman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,119

💱 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

Ajman Bali 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajman
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

Ajman vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 97% lower than in Ajman. 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 922% higher in Ajman, 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: $2,529 in Ajman versus $994 in Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ajman versus $442 in Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ajman pay roughly 36% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,224 in Bali versus $2,417 in Ajman, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bali but tight or insufficient in Ajman. 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, Ajman 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 97% less than in Ajman. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.