Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,214 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Forbes

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

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Bali vs $2,543 in Forbes, rent included.

Bali $1,214
Forbes $2,543

A couple spends around $2,047 per month in Bali vs $3,751 in Forbes, rent included.

Bali $2,047
Forbes $3,751

A family of three spends $2,880 per month in Bali vs $4,958 in Forbes, rent included.

Bali $2,880
Forbes $4,958

Bali is about 52% cheaper than Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bali sits 11% below the global median, while Forbes is 87% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

$15.91 A$22.61

-82.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.91 Rp 525.5K

$94.9 A$135

-69.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 Rp 82.9K

$11.31 A$16.07

-59.68%

Cappuccino

$2.26 Rp 41.2K

$3.52 A$5.00

-35.80%

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

$1.43 Rp 25.9K

$2.99 A$4.24

-52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 Rp 12.4K

$2.37 A$3.37

-71.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$6.98 A$9.92

-68.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 Rp 66.9K

$7.40 A$10.52

-50.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.69 A$2.41

-11.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.7K

$2.42 A$3.44

-9.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 Rp 20.7K

$2.14 A$3.04

-46.73%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

$5.00 A$7.10

-59.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.81 Rp 305.5K

$10.16 A$14.44

65.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 Rp 64.9K

$9.52 A$13.53

-62.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 Rp 205.5K

$13.72 A$19.49

-17.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.6K

$3.78 A$5.37

-8.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.5K

$3.01 A$4.27

-49.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

$3.55 A$5.05

-38.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

$4.92 A$6.99

-61.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 31.1K

$2.50 A$3.55

-31.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

$2.55 A$3.63

-9.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.1K

$2.28 A$3.24

-56.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 Rp 9,085

$1.45 A$2.06

-65.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 Rp 36.9K

$46.43 A$66.0

-95.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.49 Rp 390.6K

$12.36 A$17.57

73.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 Rp 38.8K

$4.75 A$6.75

-54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Rp 52.1K

$5.80 A$8.24

-50.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,571

$2.66 A$3.78

-90.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 160.3K

$78.5 A$111

-88.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,169

$3.70 A$5.26

-87.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 Rp 7,991

$1.72 A$2.45

-74.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 Rp 99.6K

$45.70 A$64.9

-88.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.25 A$1.78

-28.80%

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

$24.3K Rp 441.6M

$33.8K A$48.1K

-28.16%

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

$31.9K Rp 580.5M

$28.1K A$40.0K

13.48%

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

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$195 A$277

-59.03%

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

$6.55 Rp 119.0K

$23.66 A$33.62

-72.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.48 Rp 335.9K

$53.4 A$75.8

-65.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 Rp 739.0K

$59.1 A$84.0

-31.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.93 Rp 271.3K

$19.72 A$28.02

-24.29%

Cinema Ticket

$3.67 Rp 66.6K

$12.05 A$17.13

-69.54%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$2,301 A$3,269

-81.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,063 Rp 92.0M

$21.3K A$30.3K

-76.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.62 Rp 792.8K

$80.6 A$115

-45.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.69 Rp 594.2K

$56.7 A$80.6

-42.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

$117 A$166

-36.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 Rp 1.4M

$124 A$176

-40.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 Rp 17.9M

$1,558 A$2,213

-36.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 Rp 10.6M

$1,278 A$1,816

-54.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,121 Rp 56.7M

$2,463 A$3,499

26.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 Rp 26.8M

$2,041 A$2,901

-27.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 Rp 44.5M

$5,228 A$7,428

-53.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.7M

$5,146 A$7,312

-61.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.9

133.56%

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

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$583 48%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 119% $695

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$275 22.7%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 32.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 159% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.3%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 68.5% $69

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.4%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 206% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$48 4%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 73.4% $35

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Forbes

$101 4% 713% $89

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $984 in Bali versus $1,558 in Forbes. 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 $95 in Forbes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $364 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

07:17 7:17 AM

3 h ahead of Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bali Forbes 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Forbes costs about 109% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,821 per month in Bali and $3,814 in Forbes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $984 there versus $1,558 in Forbes.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $95 in Forbes. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,214 in Bali and $2,543 in Forbes. That makes Bali about 52% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,214 in Bali and $2,543 in Forbes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Bali is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.