Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Ha Long Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long Bay: $765 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,236
/mo nomad
Ha Long Bay
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$765
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $765 in Ha Long Bay, rent included.

  • Bali $1,236
  • Ha Long Bay $765

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $1,234 in Ha Long Bay, rent included.

  • Bali $2,086
  • Ha Long Bay $1,234

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $1,702 in Ha Long Bay, rent included.

  • Bali $2,937
  • Ha Long Bay $1,702

Bali costs about 62% more than Ha Long Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Ha Long Bay are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Ha Long Bay 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 Rp 49.7K
$2.07 ₫53.6K
33.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.80 Rp 536.4K
$19.11 ₫494.8K
55.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.63 Rp 83.3K
$4.26 ₫110.2K
8.69%
Cappuccino
$2.32 Rp 41.7K
$1.61 ₫41.6K
44.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 Rp 25.1K
$0.38 ₫9,754
268.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.5K
$0.30 ₫7,887
113.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 Rp 39.4K
$0.87 ₫22.6K
151.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 Rp 64.5K
$1.41 ₫36.6K
153.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 26.7K
$1.53 ₫39.7K
-2.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
$1.05 ₫27.3K
110.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 Rp 21.1K
$1.02 ₫26.3K
14.71%
Eggs
$2.02 Rp 36.4K
$1.11 ₫28.8K
81.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 Rp 297.4K
$11.26 ₫291.5K
46.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.68 Rp 66.2K
$3.68 ₫95.3K
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.67 Rp 210.0K
$9.98 ₫258.2K
16.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 Rp 62.0K
$3.07 ₫79.5K
12.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.2K
$1.11 ₫28.9K
31.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.3K
$1.34 ₫34.7K
67.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 Rp 32.8K
$1.25 ₫32.4K
45.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 Rp 32.2K
$1.02 ₫26.4K
75.49%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
$1.16 ₫30.0K
95.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$0.66 ₫17.0K
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,186
$0.55 ₫14.1K
-7.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.15 Rp 38.7K
$1.43 ₫37.0K
50.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.44 Rp 386.0K
$12.02 ₫311.1K
78.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$0.82 ₫21.2K
179.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 Rp 51.5K
$1.70 ₫43.9K
68.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 Rp 4,713
$0.32 ₫8,218
-18.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.97 Rp 143.5K
$6.42 ₫166.2K
24.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,646
$0.77 ₫20.0K
-37.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,705
$0.57 ₫14.7K
-24.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 Rp 101.6K
$2.35 ₫61.0K
140.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.8K
$0.95 ₫24.5K
-13.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 426.6M
$30.6K ₫791.8M
-22.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 571.3M
$29.9K ₫775.2M
5.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
$78.1 ₫2.0M
4.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.53 Rp 117.6K
$5.86 ₫151.8K
11.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 Rp 329.7K
$8.47 ₫219.2K
116.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 Rp 843.4K
$21.84 ₫565.5K
114.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.05 Rp 270.8K
$7.64 ₫197.7K
96.99%
Cinema Ticket
$3.69 Rp 66.5K
$3.15 ₫81.5K
17.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$445 Rp 8.0M
$159 ₫4.1M
180.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,218 Rp 93.9M
$12.3K ₫317.6M
-57.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.66 Rp 767.8K
$44.55 ₫1.2M
-4.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.40 Rp 601.2K
$26.45 ₫684.9K
26.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$83.8 ₫2.2M
-10.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 Rp 1.3M
$77.0 ₫2.0M
-4.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 Rp 17.9M
$405 ₫10.5M
146.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$596 Rp 10.7M
$274 ₫7.1M
117.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,054 Rp 55.0M
$741 ₫19.2M
312.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 Rp 27.2M
$625 ₫16.2M
141.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,430 Rp 43.7M
$2,841 ₫73.5M
-14.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,963 Rp 35.3M
$1,279 ₫33.1M
53.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Ha Long Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$220 Rp 4.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
8.46
62.88%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ha Long Bay: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$596
Ha Long Bay
$274 54% $322
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$277
Ha Long Bay
$196 29.1% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$106
Ha Long Bay
$92 13% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Ha Long Bay
$104 3.1% $3.1
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Ha Long Bay
$59 35% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$54
Ha Long Bay
$28 48.1% $26
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Ha Long Bay
$11 2.8% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $405 in Ha Long Bay. 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 $19.00 in Ha Long Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $196 – making Ha Long Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇻🇳 Ha Long Bay
🕒 Local time
01:32 1:32 AM
00:32 12:32 AM
1 h behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
270,054
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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 = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Ha Long Bay 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Ha Long Bay?
Bali costs about 62% more than Ha Long Bay, 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 Ha Long Bay?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $1,148 in Ha Long Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Ha Long Bay?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ha Long Bay, 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 Ha Long Bay?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali and $19.00 in Ha Long Bay. 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 Ha Long Bay?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $765 in Ha Long Bay. That's a gap of about 62%.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Bali or in Ha Long Bay?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ha Long Bay, where all-in costs run around $765, than in Bali at $1,236. In Ha Long Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bali or Ha Long Bay?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ha Long Bay costs $765 versus $1,236 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bali compared to Ha Long Bay?
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 Ha Long Bay?
If budget matters most, go with Ha Long Bay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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