Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Balikpapan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $1,214 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali, Indonesia
Balikpapan, Indonesia
Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,214
/mo nomad
Balikpapan
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$669
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Balikpapan

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

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Bali vs $669 in Balikpapan, rent included.

  • Bali $1,214
  • Balikpapan $669

A couple spends around $2,047 per month in Bali vs $1,057 in Balikpapan, rent included.

  • Bali $2,047
  • Balikpapan $1,057

A family of three spends $2,880 per month in Bali vs $1,444 in Balikpapan, rent included.

  • Bali $2,880
  • Balikpapan $1,444

Bali costs about 81% more than Balikpapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Balikpapan are more affordable than the global median – Bali 11% lower, Balikpapan 51% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.73 Rp 49.6K
$1.40 Rp 25.4K
95.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.91 Rp 525.1K
$10.88 Rp 197.7K
165.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.56 Rp 82.8K
$3.02 Rp 54.8K
50.99%
Cappuccino
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$1.34 Rp 24.4K
68.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 Rp 25.9K
$0.35 Rp 6,320
308.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 Rp 12.4K
$0.39 Rp 7,034
74.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$2.25 Rp 40.8K
-0.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 Rp 66.9K
$3.51 Rp 63.7K
4.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$1.13 Rp 20.5K
31.86%
White Bread (500g)
$2.18 Rp 39.6K
$1.05 Rp 19.1K
107.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.14 Rp 20.7K
$1.17 Rp 21.3K
-2.56%
Eggs
$2.02 Rp 36.7K
$2.43 Rp 44.1K
-16.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.81 Rp 305.2K
$7.14 Rp 129.7K
135.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.57 Rp 64.8K
$2.98 Rp 54.1K
19.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.31 Rp 205.3K
$8.63 Rp 156.8K
31.05%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 Rp 62.5K
$2.18 Rp 39.6K
57.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 Rp 27.5K
$1.31 Rp 23.7K
15.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 Rp 39.8K
$1.54 Rp 28.0K
42.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 34.2K
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
57.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 Rp 31.0K
$1.20 Rp 21.8K
42.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 Rp 42.0K
$1.95 Rp 35.5K
18.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.1K
$0.84 Rp 15.3K
17.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 Rp 9,078
$0.72 Rp 13.0K
-30.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.03 Rp 36.8K
$1.78 Rp 32.2K
14.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.49 Rp 390.3K
$21.12 Rp 383.5K
1.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.14 Rp 38.8K
$1.79 Rp 32.6K
19.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 Rp 52.1K
$2.98 Rp 54.0K
-3.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,568
$0.23 Rp 4,151
8.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 160.2K
$11.50 Rp 208.8K
-23.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.45 Rp 8,163
$1.11 Rp 20.2K
-59.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.44 Rp 7,985
$0.29 Rp 5,189
51.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.48 Rp 99.5K
$2.81 Rp 51.0K
95.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 Rp 16.1K
$0.75 Rp 13.7K
18.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K Rp 441.3M
$23.2K Rp 420.9M
4.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K Rp 580.1M
$31.4K Rp 570.2M
1.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
$64.1 Rp 1.2M
24.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.55 Rp 118.9K
$4.19 Rp 76.1K
56.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.48 Rp 335.6K
$29.48 Rp 535.4K
-37.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.66 Rp 738.4K
$23.84 Rp 432.9K
70.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.93 Rp 271.1K
$8.27 Rp 150.3K
80.53%
Cinema Ticket
$3.67 Rp 66.6K
$2.82 Rp 51.3K
30.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$437 Rp 7.9M
$91.6 Rp 1.7M
377.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,063 Rp 91.9M
$9,145 Rp 166.1M
-44.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.62 Rp 792.2K
$37.81 Rp 686.7K
15.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.69 Rp 593.7K
$18.66 Rp 338.9K
75.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.6 Rp 1.3M
$140 Rp 2.5M
-47.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.3 Rp 1.3M
$70.6 Rp 1.3M
5.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$984 Rp 17.9M
$197 Rp 3.6M
399.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$583 Rp 10.6M
$143 Rp 2.6M
307.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,121 Rp 56.7M
$559 Rp 10.2M
458.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,475 Rp 26.8M
$362 Rp 6.6M
307.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,447 Rp 44.4M
$1,323 Rp 24.0M
85.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,963 Rp 35.6M
$777 Rp 14.1M
152.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Balikpapan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$215 Rp 3.9M
$238 Rp 4.3M
-9.50%
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 Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$583
Balikpapan
$143 75.4% $440
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$275
Balikpapan
$206 25.2% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$105
Balikpapan
$98 6.8% $7.1
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Balikpapan
$120 19.2% $19
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Balikpapan
$58 35.8% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$48
Balikpapan
$29 38.5% $19
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Balikpapan
$15 19.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $984 in Bali versus $197 in Balikpapan. 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 10% higher in Balikpapan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali versus $11 in Balikpapan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $206 – making Balikpapan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇮🇩 Balikpapan
🕒 Local time
17:31 5:31 PM
17:31 5:31 PM
Same time as Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
701,066
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Balikpapan 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Balikpapan

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 Balikpapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Balikpapan?
Bali costs about 81% more than Balikpapan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bali and in Balikpapan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,821 per month in Bali and $1,004 in Balikpapan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Balikpapan?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Balikpapan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $197 there versus $984 in Bali.
How do dining costs compare in Bali and in Balikpapan?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $11 in Balikpapan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Balikpapan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,214 in Bali and $669 in Balikpapan. That makes Balikpapan about 45% cheaper.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Bali or in Balikpapan?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Balikpapan, where all-in costs run around $669, than in Bali at $1,214. In Balikpapan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Balikpapan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Bali compared to Balikpapan?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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