Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Bac Kan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Kan: $785 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,236
/mo nomad
Bac Kan
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$785
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Bac Kan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,236 in Bali versus $785 in Bac Kan.

  • Bali $1,236
  • Bac Kan $785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,086 in Bali versus $1,269 in Bac Kan.

  • Bali $2,086
  • Bac Kan $1,269

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,937 in Bali versus $1,754 in Bac Kan.

  • Bali $2,937
  • Bac Kan $1,754

Living in Bali is roughly 58% more expensive than in Bac Kan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bali 8% lower, Bac Kan 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 Rp 49.6K
$2.07 ₫53.6K
33.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.80 Rp 534.8K
$22.72 ₫588.2K
31.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.63 Rp 83.0K
$4.53 ₫117.2K
2.21%
Cappuccino
$2.32 Rp 41.6K
$1.93 ₫49.8K
20.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 Rp 25.0K
$0.47 ₫12.1K
197.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.4K
$0.30 ₫7,749
113.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 Rp 39.3K
$1.11 ₫28.6K
97.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 Rp 64.3K
$1.90 ₫49.3K
88.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 26.7K
$1.52 ₫39.4K
-1.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 Rp 39.7K
$1.11 ₫28.8K
99.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 Rp 21.0K
$0.80 ₫20.7K
46.25%
Eggs
$2.02 Rp 36.3K
$1.51 ₫39.2K
33.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 Rp 296.4K
$10.52 ₫272.5K
57.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.68 Rp 65.9K
$3.72 ₫96.4K
-1.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.67 Rp 209.3K
$10.10 ₫261.5K
15.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 Rp 61.8K
$3.37 ₫87.4K
2.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.1K
$1.05 ₫27.2K
39.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.1K
$1.33 ₫34.3K
68.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 Rp 32.7K
$1.09 ₫28.3K
66.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 Rp 32.1K
$0.91 ₫23.4K
96.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 Rp 40.8K
$1.08 ₫28.1K
110.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.7K
$0.58 ₫14.9K
70.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,157
$0.54 ₫14.0K
-5.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.15 Rp 38.6K
$1.38 ₫35.7K
55.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.44 Rp 384.7K
$12.71 ₫329.1K
68.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 Rp 41.0K
$0.92 ₫23.9K
148.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 Rp 51.3K
$1.71 ₫44.2K
67.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 Rp 4,698
$0.34 ₫8,852
-23.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.97 Rp 143.0K
$6.63 ₫171.6K
20.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,619
$0.79 ₫20.5K
-39.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,681
$0.61 ₫15.7K
-29.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 Rp 101.3K
$2.27 ₫58.7K
148.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.8K
$0.95 ₫24.5K
-13.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 425.2M
$31.2K ₫807.7M
-24.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 569.5M
$29.9K ₫773.0M
6.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
$84.7 ₫2.2M
-3.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.53 Rp 117.2K
$5.35 ₫138.5K
22.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 Rp 328.6K
$8.64 ₫223.7K
111.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 Rp 840.7K
$22.48 ₫581.9K
108.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.05 Rp 270.0K
$7.71 ₫199.6K
95.20%
Cinema Ticket
$3.69 Rp 66.2K
$4.28 ₫110.8K
-13.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$445 Rp 8.0M
$163 ₫4.2M
173.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,218 Rp 93.6M
$27.1K ₫701.6M
-80.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.66 Rp 765.4K
$48.64 ₫1.3M
-12.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.40 Rp 599.3K
$25.91 ₫670.9K
28.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.3M
$83.0 ₫2.1M
-9.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 Rp 1.3M
$79.9 ₫2.1M
-7.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 Rp 17.9M
$415 ₫10.7M
140.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$596 Rp 10.7M
$274 ₫7.1M
117.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,054 Rp 54.8M
$763 ₫19.8M
300.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 Rp 27.1M
$624 ₫16.2M
141.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,430 Rp 43.6M
$2,839 ₫73.5M
-14.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,963 Rp 35.2M
$1,310 ₫33.9M
49.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Bac Kan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$220 Rp 4.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
8.28
66.43%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bac Kan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$596
Bac Kan
$274 54.1% $323
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$277
Bac Kan
$197 28.7% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$106
Bac Kan
$99 7.1% $7.5
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Bac Kan
$107 5.6% $5.7
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Bac Kan
$66 27.1% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$54
Bac Kan
$31 42.8% $23
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Bac Kan
$12 1.5% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $996 in Bali and $415 in Bac Kan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Bali vs $23.00 in Bac Kan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $197 per month, with Bac Kan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇻🇳 Bac Kan
🕒 Local time
03:02 3:02 AM
02:02 2:02 AM
1 h behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
38,510
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,174 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Bac Kan 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Bac Kan

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 Bac Kan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bac Kan cheaper than Bali?
Bac Kan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,854 in Bali and $1,177 in Bac Kan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Bali and Bac Kan?
Rent for a central apartment: $996 in Bali versus $415 in Bac Kan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Bali or in Bac Kan?
Dining out is cheaper in Bac Kan – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $30.00 in Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Bali and in Bac Kan?
All in, you'll spend $1,236 per month in Bali versus $785 in Bac Kan – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bali or in Bac Kan?
At $785 in Bac Kan versus $1,236 in Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bac Kan but tight or insufficient in Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Bac Kan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Bali or Bac Kan more family-friendly?
For families, Bac Kan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Bali or Bac Kan?
Safety-wise, Bali and Bac Kan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bac Kan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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