Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Ambon

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
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Ambon Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Ambon

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 Ambon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Bali $1,214
Ambon $646

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

Bali $2,047
Ambon $1,021

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

Bali $2,880
Ambon $1,397

Living in Bali is roughly 88% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.73 Rp 49.2K

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

145.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.91 Rp 521.1K

$13.36 Rp 240.8K

116.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 Rp 82.2K

$3.91 Rp 70.5K

16.62%

Cappuccino

$2.26 Rp 40.8K

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

55.86%

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

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

$0.45 Rp 8,115

217.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 Rp 12.3K

$0.28 Rp 5,037

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 Rp 66.4K

$3.36 Rp 60.6K

9.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

46.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.3K

$0.97 Rp 17.6K

124.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

34.12%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

43.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.81 Rp 302.9K

$7.05 Rp 127.1K

138.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 Rp 64.4K

$2.92 Rp 52.7K

22.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 Rp 203.8K

$7.38 Rp 133.0K

53.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.1K

$2.18 Rp 39.3K

57.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.3K

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.55 Rp 28.0K

41.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.20 Rp 21.6K

56.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$1.21 Rp 21.8K

41.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 Rp 9,010

$0.42 Rp 7,599

19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 Rp 36.6K

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

-8.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.49 Rp 387.4K

$21.08 Rp 379.9K

1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

13.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

-4.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,533

$0.25 Rp 4,583

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 159.0K

$11.46 Rp 206.7K

-23.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,102

$0.52 Rp 9,287

-13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 Rp 7,925

$0.37 Rp 6,711

18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 Rp 98.8K

$2.78 Rp 50.1K

97.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

9.88%

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

$24.3K Rp 438.0M

$21.6K Rp 390.2M

12.25%

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

$31.9K Rp 575.8M

$34.5K Rp 621.8M

-7.40%

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

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

11.85%

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

$6.55 Rp 118.1K

$5.55 Rp 100.1K

18.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.48 Rp 333.1K

$18.61 Rp 335.5K

-0.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 Rp 732.9K

$18.34 Rp 330.5K

121.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.93 Rp 269.0K

$8.46 Rp 152.5K

76.48%

Cinema Ticket

$3.67 Rp 66.1K

$1.40 Rp 25.2K

162.14%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$100 Rp 1.8M

335.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,063 Rp 91.3M

$8,411 Rp 151.6M

-39.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.62 Rp 786.3K

$43.94 Rp 792.1K

-0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.69 Rp 589.3K

$31.67 Rp 570.8K

3.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

$74.5 Rp 1.3M

-1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 Rp 1.3M

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

6.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 Rp 17.7M

$250 Rp 4.5M

294.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 Rp 10.5M

$165 Rp 3.0M

252.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,121 Rp 56.2M

$535 Rp 9.6M

483.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 Rp 26.6M

$402 Rp 7.2M

266.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 Rp 44.1M

$1,237 Rp 22.3M

97.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.4M

$712 Rp 12.8M

175.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$122 Rp 2.2M

76.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.46

45.67%

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

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ambon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$583 48%

Ambon

$165 25.6% 71.6% $417

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$275 22.7%

Ambon

$191 29.6% 30.5% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Ambon

$96 14.8% 8.9% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.3%

Ambon

$99 15.3% 1.8% $1.8

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.4%

Ambon

$59 9.1% 34.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$48 4%

Ambon

$21 3.3% 55.9% $27

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Ambon

$15 2.3% 19.1% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $984 in Bali and $250 in Ambon. 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: $29 in Bali vs $13 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $191 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

1 h ahead of Bali

🌤 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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Bali
Ambon

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 Ambon: 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.

Average pay runs 76% higher in Bali, 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: $984 in Bali versus $250 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,214 per month in Bali versus $646 in Ambon – 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, Bali and Ambon 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.