Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Ajman

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.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Ajman

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

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

Bali $1,224
Ajman $2,417

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

Bali $2,064
Ajman $4,520

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

Bali $2,904
Ajman $6,623

Living in Bali costs roughly 49% less than in Ajman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

$5.88 AED 21.59

-53.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

$27.68 AED 102

7.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

$8.27 AED 30.37

-42.68%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

$3.82 AED 14.02

-41.88%

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

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

$0.78 AED 2.88

75.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

$0.37 AED 1.36

78.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

$10.84 AED 39.82

-79.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

$12.41 AED 45.59

-70.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

$1.99 AED 7.32

-27.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

$1.35 AED 4.94

60.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

$1.51 AED 5.55

-25.83%

Eggs

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

$2.06 AED 7.56

-4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

$7.91 AED 29.05

107.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

$5.67 AED 20.83

-35.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

$8.27 AED 30.38

39.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

$1.87 AED 6.87

80.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

$1.27 AED 4.65

14.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

$1.51 AED 5.54

42.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

$0.88 AED 3.22

115.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

$1.04 AED 3.82

73.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

$1.07 AED 3.93

109.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$0.82 AED 3.00

14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,577

$0.55 AED 2.02

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$6.15 AED 22.60

-65.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

$10.77 AED 39.57

103.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

$1.61 AED 5.91

40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

$2.22 AED 8.15

24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,661

$4.14 AED 15.21

-93.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

$67.7 AED 249

-88.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,853

$3.53 AED 12.96

-87.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,491

$0.70 AED 2.56

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

$8.02 AED 29.44

-29.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

$0.84 AED 3.07

7.14%

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

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

$46.1K AED 169.3K

-47.39%

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

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

$22.4K AED 82.2K

40.75%

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

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

$151 AED 553

-46.82%

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

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

$50.1 AED 184

-86.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

$85.1 AED 313

-78.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

$76.8 AED 282

-40.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

$9.87 AED 36.25

54.41%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

$13.42 AED 49.30

-72.35%

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

$442 Rp 7.9M

$491 AED 1,802

-9.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

$5,675 AED 20.8K

-7.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

$57.8 AED 212

-23.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

$62.4 AED 229

-45.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

$84.2 AED 309

-8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$94.7 AED 348

-20.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 Rp 17.8M

$2,529 AED 9,288

-60.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 Rp 10.5M

$1,381 AED 5,073

-57.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

$1,788 AED 6,568

72.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

$4,632 AED 17.0K

-67.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

$2,249 AED 8,259

5.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

$1,412 AED 5,186

42.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$2,279 AED 8,372

-90.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

175.60%

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ajman: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$588 48%

Ajman

$1.4K 57.6% 135% $793

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$274 22.4%

Ajman

$201 8.4% 26.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Ajman

$286 11.9% 172% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$104 8.5%

Ajman

$135 5.6% 29.8% $31

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.3%

Ajman

$201 8.4% 126% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Ajman

$104 4.3% 95.5% $51

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Ajman

$91 3.8% 684% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Bali and $2,529 in Ajman. 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: $30.00 in Bali vs $28.00 in Ajman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $201 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇦🇪 Ajman

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

08:03 8:03 AM

4 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,119

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Ajman 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Ajman

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

Bali vs Ajman: 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.

On paper, salaries run 922% lower in Ajman. 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: $994 in Bali versus $2,529 in Ajman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $442 in Bali versus $491 in Ajman. 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, Bali and Ajman 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.