Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,236 a month against $1,539 in Gongju, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. The total is higher in Gongju despite lower rent and utilities.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,236
/mo nomad
Gongju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,539
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Gongju

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $1,539 in Gongju, rent included.

  • Bali $1,236
  • Gongju $1,539

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $2,437 in Gongju, rent included.

  • Bali $2,086
  • Gongju $2,437

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $3,335 in Gongju, rent included.

  • Bali $2,937
  • Gongju $3,335

Bali is about 20% cheaper than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bali sits 8% below the global median, while Gongju is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Gongju
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 Rp 49.7K
$7.29 ₩9,697
-62.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.80 Rp 536.4K
$48.03 ₩63.9K
-37.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.63 Rp 83.3K
$6.54 ₩8,700
-29.20%
Cappuccino
$2.32 Rp 41.7K
$3.77 ₩5,015
-38.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 Rp 25.1K
$1.85 ₩2,461
-24.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.5K
$1.44 ₩1,918
-55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 Rp 39.4K
$3.84 ₩5,104
-42.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 Rp 64.5K
$4.30 ₩5,721
-16.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Gongju
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 26.7K
$2.26 ₩3,004
-34.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
$3.19 ₩4,246
-30.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 Rp 21.1K
$3.16 ₩4,197
-62.97%
Eggs
$2.02 Rp 36.4K
$2.74 ₩3,641
-26.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 Rp 297.4K
$10.89 ₩14.5K
51.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.68 Rp 66.2K
$10.47 ₩13.9K
-64.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.67 Rp 210.0K
$24.73 ₩32.9K
-52.81%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 Rp 62.0K
$11.31 ₩15.0K
-69.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.2K
$3.61 ₩4,803
-59.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.3K
$8.27 ₩11.0K
-72.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 Rp 32.8K
$5.95 ₩7,908
-69.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 Rp 32.2K
$6.11 ₩8,120
-70.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
$3.22 ₩4,283
-29.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$2.83 ₩3,766
-65.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,186
$1.28 ₩1,704
-60.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.15 Rp 38.7K
$3.28 ₩4,357
-34.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.44 Rp 386.0K
$18.67 ₩24.8K
14.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$2.38 ₩3,166
-3.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 Rp 51.5K
$3.53 ₩4,700
-18.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Gongju
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 Rp 4,713
$1.14 ₩1,513
-77.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.97 Rp 143.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,646
$3.67 ₩4,884
-86.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,705
$0.73 ₩967
-41.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 Rp 101.6K
$17.08 ₩22.7K
-66.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.8K
$1.37 ₩1,819
-40.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 426.6M
$29.5K ₩39.3M
-19.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 571.3M
$33.3K ₩44.3M
-4.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Gongju
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
$197 ₩262.1K
-58.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.53 Rp 117.6K
$36.42 ₩48.4K
-82.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 Rp 329.7K
$26.72 ₩35.5K
-31.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Gongju
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 Rp 843.4K
$51.9 ₩69.0K
-9.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.05 Rp 270.8K
$12.00 ₩16.0K
25.42%
Cinema Ticket
$3.69 Rp 66.5K
$11.80 ₩15.7K
-68.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Gongju
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$445 Rp 8.0M
$624 ₩830.3K
-28.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,218 Rp 93.9M
$21.6K ₩28.7M
-75.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Gongju
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.66 Rp 767.8K
$104 ₩137.8K
-58.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.40 Rp 601.2K
$66.4 ₩88.3K
-49.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$94.7 ₩125.9K
-20.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 Rp 1.3M
$127 ₩168.5K
-41.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Gongju
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 Rp 17.9M
$489 ₩650.1K
103.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$596 Rp 10.7M
$364 ₩484.6K
63.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,054 Rp 55.0M
$1,153 ₩1.5M
164.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 Rp 27.2M
$757 ₩1.0M
99.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,430 Rp 43.7M
$7,239 ₩9.6M
-66.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,963 Rp 35.3M
$5,410 ₩7.2M
-63.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Gongju
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$220 Rp 4.0M
$1,309 ₩1.7M
-83.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
4.22
226.54%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gongju: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$596
Gongju
$364 38.9% $232
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$277
Gongju
$486 75.7% $209
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$106
Gongju
$260 145% $154
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Gongju
$176 74.1% $75
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Gongju
$164 82.4% $74
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$54
Gongju
$75 39.2% $21
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Gongju
$12 * 1.9% $0.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $489 in Gongju. 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 494% higher in Gongju, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali versus $48.00 in Gongju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $486 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇰🇷 Gongju
🕒 Local time
07:28 7:28 AM
08:28 8:28 AM
1 h ahead of Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
110,428
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Gongju 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Gongju?
Gongju costs about 24% more than Bali, 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 Gongju?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $2,308 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Gongju?
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 much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Gongju?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $1,539 in Gongju. That's a gap of about 24%.
How do childcare costs compare in Bali and in Gongju?
Kindergarten costs $445 per month in Bali and $624 in Gongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bali or in Gongju?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,236, than in Gongju at $1,539. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gongju it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bali or Gongju?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,236 versus $1,539 in Gongju. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bali compared to Gongju?
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 Gongju?
If budget matters most, go with Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gongju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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