Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Gwangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,236 a month against $1,329 in Gwangju, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Gwangju despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Gwangju

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $1,329 in Gwangju, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Gwangju $1,329

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $2,038 in Gwangju, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Gwangju $2,038

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $2,747 in Gwangju, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Gwangju $2,747

Bali is about 7% cheaper than Gwangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bali and Gwangju are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Gwangju 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$5.98 ₩7,948

-53.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$34.07 ₩45.3K

-12.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$6.12 ₩8,131

-24.35%

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$3.25 ₩4,317

-28.62%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$1.60 ₩2,127

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.63 ₩837

1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$2.48 ₩3,297

-11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

$4.52 ₩6,008

-20.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$1.71 ₩2,269

-12.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$2.37 ₩3,153

-6.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$2.26 ₩3,009

-48.23%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$2.74 ₩3,639

-26.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$8.85 ₩11.8K

86.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$7.97 ₩10.6K

-53.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$11.26 ₩15.0K

3.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$5.15 ₩6,854

-33.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$3.04 ₩4,037

-51.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$3.76 ₩5,002

-40.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$3.04 ₩4,037

-40.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$3.57 ₩4,747

-49.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$1.89 ₩2,515

20.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$2.00 ₩2,663

-50.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$1.35 ₩1,791

-62.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$3.45 ₩4,584

-37.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

$11.10 ₩14.8K

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$1.46 ₩1,935

56.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$2.27 ₩3,024

25.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$1.06 ₩1,410

-75.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

$68.2 ₩90.6K

-88.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$3.18 ₩4,223

-84.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$0.62 ₩821

-30.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$7.79 ₩10.4K

-27.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.22 ₩1,616

-32.79%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$28.0K ₩37.3M

-15.46%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$35.3K ₩46.9M

-10.08%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$210 ₩279.5K

-61.32%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$43.76 ₩58.2K

-85.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$21.18 ₩28.2K

-13.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$51.7 ₩68.7K

-9.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$11.71 ₩15.6K

28.52%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$11.25 ₩15.0K

-67.20%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$300 ₩399.0K

48.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$17.9K ₩23.8M

-70.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$31.74 ₩42.2K

34.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$26.01 ₩34.6K

28.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$63.6 ₩84.5K

18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$88.6 ₩117.8K

-16.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$495 ₩657.9K

101.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$363 ₩482.7K

64.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$1,164 ₩1.5M

162.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$747 ₩992.8K

102.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$7,812 ₩10.4M

-68.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$6,383 ₩8.5M

-69.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$2,883 ₩3.8M

-92.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.6

282.78%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gwangju: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Gwangju

$363 27.3% 39.1% $233

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Gwangju

$308 23.2% 11.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Gwangju

$275 20.7% 159% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Gwangju

$94 7.1% 6.6% $6.7

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Gwangju

$135 10.2% 50.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Gwangju

$74 5.6% 36.8% $20

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Gwangju

$79 5.9% 576% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $495 in Gwangju. 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 1209% higher in Gwangju, 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 $34.00 in Gwangju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $308 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h ahead of Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,467,996

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Gwangju 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Gwangju

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 Gwangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwangju costs about 8% more than Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $1,993 in Gwangju. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali and $34.00 in Gwangju. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $1,329 in Gwangju. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,236, than in Gwangju at $1,329. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gwangju it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,236 versus $1,329 in Gwangju. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gwangju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.