Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambon and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $646 a month against $1,214 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
Learn more

Ambon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$646

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $646 in Ambon versus $1,214 in Bali.

Ambon $646
Bali $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,021 in Ambon versus $2,047 in Bali.

Ambon $1,021
Bali $2,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,397 in Ambon versus $2,880 in Bali.

Ambon $1,397
Bali $2,880

Living in Ambon costs roughly 47% less than in Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ambon 53% lower, Bali 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$2.73 Rp 49.2K

-59.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.36 Rp 240.8K

$28.91 Rp 521.1K

-53.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.91 Rp 70.5K

$4.56 Rp 82.2K

-14.25%

Cappuccino

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

$2.26 Rp 40.8K

-35.84%

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

$0.45 Rp 8,115

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

-68.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 Rp 5,037

$0.68 Rp 12.3K

-58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 Rp 60.6K

$3.68 Rp 66.4K

-8.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

-31.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 Rp 17.6K

$2.18 Rp 39.3K

-55.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

-25.44%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

-30.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.05 Rp 127.1K

$16.81 Rp 302.9K

-58.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 52.7K

$3.57 Rp 64.4K

-18.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 Rp 133.0K

$11.31 Rp 203.8K

-34.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 39.3K

$3.44 Rp 62.1K

-36.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$1.51 Rp 27.3K

-13.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 Rp 28.0K

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-29.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.6K

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-36.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 Rp 21.8K

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

-29.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

-18.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

-12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,599

$0.50 Rp 9,010

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$2.03 Rp 36.6K

9.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.08 Rp 379.9K

$21.49 Rp 387.4K

-1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

-12.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

4.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,583

$0.25 Rp 4,533

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 Rp 206.7K

$8.82 Rp 159.0K

29.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 Rp 9,287

$0.45 Rp 8,102

15.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,711

$0.44 Rp 7,925

-15.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 Rp 50.1K

$5.48 Rp 98.8K

-49.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

-8.99%

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

$21.6K Rp 390.2M

$24.3K Rp 438.0M

-10.91%

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

$34.5K Rp 621.8M

$31.9K Rp 575.8M

7.99%

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

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

-10.59%

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

$5.55 Rp 100.1K

$6.55 Rp 118.1K

-15.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 Rp 335.5K

$18.48 Rp 333.1K

0.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.34 Rp 330.5K

$40.66 Rp 732.9K

-54.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 Rp 152.5K

$14.93 Rp 269.0K

-43.34%

Cinema Ticket

$1.40 Rp 25.2K

$3.67 Rp 66.1K

-61.85%

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

$100 Rp 1.8M

$437 Rp 7.9M

-77.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,411 Rp 151.6M

$5,063 Rp 91.3M

66.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.94 Rp 792.1K

$43.62 Rp 786.3K

0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.67 Rp 570.8K

$32.69 Rp 589.3K

-3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 Rp 1.3M

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

$74.3 Rp 1.3M

-5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 Rp 4.5M

$984 Rp 17.7M

-74.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$583 Rp 10.5M

-71.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 Rp 9.6M

$3,121 Rp 56.2M

-82.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 Rp 7.2M

$1,475 Rp 26.6M

-72.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,237 Rp 22.3M

$2,447 Rp 44.1M

-49.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$712 Rp 12.8M

$1,963 Rp 35.4M

-63.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$122 Rp 2.2M

$215 Rp 3.9M

-43.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

13.78

-31.35%

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

Last update for Ambon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ambon

$191 29.6%

Bali

$275 22.7% 43.9% $84

Accommodation & Living

Ambon

$165 25.6%

Bali

$583 48% 252% $417

Clothing & Footwear

Ambon

$99 15.3%

Bali

$101 8.3% 1.9% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambon

$96 14.8%

Bali

$105 8.6% 9.8% $9.3

Eating Out

Ambon

$59 9.1%

Bali

$90 7.4% 52.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ambon

$21 3.3%

Bali

$48 4% 127% $27

Getting Around

Ambon

$15 2.3%

Bali

$12 1% 16% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $250 in Ambon and $984 in Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bali pays 76% 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: $13 in Ambon vs $29 in Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $275 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ambon

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

1 h behind Ambon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,888

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ambon Bali 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ambon
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

Ambon vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Ambon. 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: $250 in Ambon versus $984 in Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $646 per month in Ambon versus $1,214 in Bali – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bali runs roughly 23% less than in Ambon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $646 in Ambon versus $1,214 in Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambon but tight or insufficient in Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Ambon 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.

Safety-wise, Ambon 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.

It comes down to priorities – Ambon wins on affordability, Bali on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.