Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Ballina

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,236 a month against $2,462 in Ballina, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,236
/mo nomad
Ballina
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,462
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Ballina

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $2,462 in Ballina, rent included.

  • Bali $1,236
  • Ballina $2,462

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $3,724 in Ballina, rent included.

  • Bali $2,086
  • Ballina $3,724

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $4,986 in Ballina, rent included.

  • Bali $2,937
  • Ballina $4,986

Bali is about 50% cheaper than Ballina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bali sits 8% below the global median, while Ballina is 82% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Ballina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 Rp 49.7K
$17.33 A$24.93
-84.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.80 Rp 536.4K
$82.9 A$119
-64.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.63 Rp 83.3K
$9.17 A$13.19
-49.51%
Cappuccino
$2.32 Rp 41.7K
$3.90 A$5.61
-40.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 Rp 25.1K
$2.84 A$4.08
-50.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.5K
$2.27 A$3.27
-71.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 Rp 39.4K
$7.59 A$10.93
-71.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 Rp 64.5K
$7.44 A$10.71
-51.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Ballina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 26.7K
$2.66 A$3.82
-43.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
$3.25 A$4.67
-32.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 Rp 21.1K
$2.18 A$3.14
-46.33%
Eggs
$2.02 Rp 36.4K
$5.69 A$8.18
-64.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 Rp 297.4K
$6.36 A$9.15
159.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.68 Rp 66.2K
$9.17 A$13.20
-59.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.67 Rp 210.0K
$15.05 A$21.66
-22.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 Rp 62.0K
$3.52 A$5.07
-2.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.2K
$3.11 A$4.47
-53.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.3K
$3.19 A$4.59
-29.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 Rp 32.8K
$3.49 A$5.02
-47.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 Rp 32.2K
$2.69 A$3.87
-33.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
$2.33 A$3.35
-2.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$3.54 A$5.10
-72.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,186
$1.53 A$2.20
-66.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.15 Rp 38.7K
$42.38 A$61.0
-94.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.44 Rp 386.0K
$13.97 A$20.10
53.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$4.81 A$6.93
-52.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 Rp 51.5K
$5.15 A$7.41
-44.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Ballina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 Rp 4,713
$3.30 A$4.75
-92.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.97 Rp 143.5K
$92.7 A$133
-91.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,646
$3.54 A$5.09
-86.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,705
$1.70 A$2.44
-74.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 Rp 101.6K
$39.11 A$56.3
-85.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.8K
$1.25 A$1.80
-34.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 426.6M
$26.8K A$38.6K
-11.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 571.3M
$33.0K A$47.4K
-3.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Ballina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
$216 A$311
-62.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.53 Rp 117.6K
$31.56 A$45.42
-79.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 Rp 329.7K
$49.28 A$70.9
-62.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Ballina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 Rp 843.4K
$61.1 A$88.0
-23.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.05 Rp 270.8K
$17.31 A$24.91
-13.06%
Cinema Ticket
$3.69 Rp 66.5K
$15.89 A$22.86
-76.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Ballina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$445 Rp 8.0M
$1,912 A$2,752
-76.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,218 Rp 93.9M
$22.5K A$32.4K
-76.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Ballina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.66 Rp 767.8K
$80.3 A$116
-46.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.40 Rp 601.2K
$55.6 A$79.9
-39.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$102 A$147
-26.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 Rp 1.3M
$136 A$195
-45.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Ballina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 Rp 17.9M
$1,541 A$2,218
-35.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$596 Rp 10.7M
$1,126 A$1,620
-47.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,054 Rp 55.0M
$2,038 A$2,933
49.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 Rp 27.2M
$2,001 A$2,880
-24.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,430 Rp 43.7M
$6,245 A$8,987
-61.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,963 Rp 35.3M
$4,569 A$6,575
-57.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Ballina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$220 Rp 4.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.84
135.96%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ballina: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$596
Ballina
$1.1K 88.8% $529
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$277
Ballina
$375 35.4% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$106
Ballina
$297 180% $191
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Ballina
$168 66.2% $67
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Ballina
$286 218% $196
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$54
Ballina
$93 71.3% $39
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Ballina
$118 913% $106

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $1,541 in Ballina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali versus $83.0 in Ballina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $375 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇦🇺 Ballina
🕒 Local time
22:44 10:44 PM
01:44 1:44 AM
3 h ahead of Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,911
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Ballina 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Ballina

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 Ballina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Ballina?
Ballina costs about 99% more than Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 Ballina?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $3,693 in Ballina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Ballina?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Bali and in Ballina?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali and $83.0 in Ballina. 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 Ballina?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $2,462 in Ballina. That's a gap of about 99%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bali or in Ballina?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,236, than in Ballina at $2,462. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bali or Ballina?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,236 versus $2,462 in Ballina. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bali compared to Ballina?
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.
Should I move to Bali or to Ballina?
If budget matters most, go with Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ballina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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