Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Babol

For one person, living is cheaper in Babol: $477 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Babol
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Babol Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Babol

🇮🇷 Iran

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Babol

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $477 in Babol, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Babol $477

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $737 in Babol, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Babol $737

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $996 in Babol, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Babol $996

Bali costs about 159% more than Babol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Babol are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Babol 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$3.09 $3.09

-10.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$10.50 $10.50

183.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$3.95 $3.95

17.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 $0.69

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$1.07 $1.07

116.82%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$0.29 $0.29

382.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$1.67 $1.67

-61.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$0.67 $0.67

122.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$0.18 $0.18

1127.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$2.45 $2.45

-52.24%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$1.17 $1.17

72.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$1.94 $1.94

751.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$3.36 $3.36

9.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$9.53 $9.53

22.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$1.17 $1.17

194.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$1.44 $1.44

1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$0.48 $0.48

366.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$0.48 $0.48

279.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$0.29 $0.29

517.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$0.29 $0.29

682.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$0.31 $0.31

219.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.13 $0.13

292.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 $0.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$2.27 $2.27

-5.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$0.13 $0.13

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

$9.76 $9.76

-18.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$0.48 $0.48

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$0.31 $0.31

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$3.03 $3.03

86.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$0.10 $0.10

720.00%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$49.7K $49.7K

-52.34%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$30.1K $30.1K

5.53%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$12.98 $12.98

526.50%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$1.63 $1.63

300.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$3.73 $3.73

390.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$18.30 $18.30

156.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$13.24 $13.24

13.67%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$1.96 $1.96

88.27%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$48.30 $48.30

821.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$2,428 $2,428

114.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$19.88 $19.88

114.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$15.17 $15.17

120.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$52.9 $52.9

41.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$39.50 $39.50

86.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$288 $288

245.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$213 $213

180.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$783 $783

289.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$361 $361

318.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$908 $908

167.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$597 $597

228.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$127 $127

73.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

23.75

-41.98%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Babol: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Babol

$213 44.6% 64.3% $383

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Babol

$97 20.4% 64.9% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Babol

$18 3.8% 82.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Babol

$57 12% 43.3% $44

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Babol

$57 12% 36.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Babol

$22 4.7% 59% $32

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Babol

$12 2.6% 6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $288 in Babol. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 74% higher in Bali, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali versus $10.00 in Babol. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $97.0 – making Babol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇷 Babol

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

19:24 7:24 PM

4 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Babol 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Babol

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 Babol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,236 in Bali, $477 in Babol – roughly 159% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $716 in Babol. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Babol, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Babol. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $445 per month in Bali and $48.30 in Babol. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Babol, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Bali at $1,236. In Babol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Babol to $1,236 in Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Babol. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.