Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Dharamsala

For one person, living is cheaper in Dharamsala: $377 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Dharamsala
Learn more

Dharamsala Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Dharamsala

🇮🇳 India

$377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Dharamsala

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $377 in Dharamsala, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Dharamsala $377

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $574 in Dharamsala, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Dharamsala $574

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $772 in Dharamsala, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Dharamsala $772

Bali costs about 215% more than Dharamsala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Dharamsala are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Dharamsala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

$2.57 ₹241

8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 522.3K

$10.58 ₹994

172.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.2K

$3.24 ₹304

46.91%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.46 ₹137

52.74%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

$0.40 ₹37.87

225.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.13 ₹12.54

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.55 ₹146

43.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

$3.17 ₹297

11.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$0.58 ₹54.4

143.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

$0.50 ₹47.31

336.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.81 ₹75.9

29.63%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$0.99 ₹92.6

93.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 268.7K

$5.16 ₹485

187.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.9K

$2.95 ₹277

30.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 193.4K

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.4K

$1.38 ₹130

142.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$0.75 ₹70.0

94.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$1.06 ₹99.2

109.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

$0.57 ₹53.4

215.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.1K

$0.20 ₹18.76

760.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$0.34 ₹32.26

555.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$0.35 ₹33.01

162.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,333

$0.32 ₹30.39

43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$3.20 ₹300

-35.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 368.9K

$3.08 ₹289

561.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.2K

$1.64 ₹154

31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.6K

$2.67 ₹251

6.74%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.32 ₹500

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,544

$0.21 ₹19.70

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 157.2K

$6.94 ₹652

25.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,980

$1.04 ₹97.4

-57.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,789

$0.25 ₹23.61

72.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.5K

$1.66 ₹155

224.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.05 ₹99.0

-19.05%

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

$23.7K Rp 429.8M

$11.0K ₹1.0M

114.93%

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

$32.9K Rp 594.7M

$24.6K ₹2.3M

33.61%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$38.24 ₹3,590

100.68%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.5K

$2.33 ₹219

171.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 342.7K

$2.57 ₹241

636.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 754.0K

$14.34 ₹1,347

190.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 267.5K

$6.49 ₹609

127.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.8K

$3.13 ₹294

14.38%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$59.7 ₹5,610

631.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 199.8M

$2,423 ₹227.5K

355.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 780.0K

$27.56 ₹2,588

56.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 606.6K

$20.94 ₹1,966

60.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$53.5 ₹5,021

40.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$41.37 ₹3,884

78.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.3M

$96.2 ₹9,033

895.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$81.8 ₹7,681

596.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.8M

$169 ₹15.9K

1692.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.2M

$131 ₹12.3K

1003.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.9M

$926 ₹87.0K

126.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.1M

$540 ₹50.7K

249.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

72.25%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Dharamsala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Dharamsala

$82 21.7% 85.6% $488

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Dharamsala

$93 24.7% 64.7% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Dharamsala

$43 11.4% 57.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Dharamsala

$65 17.1% 36.4% $37

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Dharamsala

$64 17% 28.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Dharamsala

$21 5.5% 57.8% $28

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Dharamsala

$10 2.7% 18% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $96 in Dharamsala. 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 $29 in Bali versus $11 in Dharamsala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $93 – making Dharamsala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇳 Dharamsala

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,543

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Dharamsala 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Dharamsala

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 Dharamsala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 215% more than Dharamsala, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,780 per month in Bali and $566 in Dharamsala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dharamsala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $96 there versus $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $11 in Dharamsala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $377 in Dharamsala. That makes Dharamsala about 68% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dharamsala, where all-in costs run around $377, than in Bali at $1,187. In Dharamsala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dharamsala costs $377 versus $1,187 in Bali. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Dharamsala is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 68% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.