Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Hikkaduwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $513 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali, Indonesia
Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka
Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,187
/mo nomad
Hikkaduwa
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$513
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Hikkaduwa

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $513 in Hikkaduwa, rent included.

  • Bali $1,187
  • Hikkaduwa $513

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $830 in Hikkaduwa, rent included.

  • Bali $2,004
  • Hikkaduwa $830

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $1,147 in Hikkaduwa, rent included.

  • Bali $2,822
  • Hikkaduwa $1,147

Bali costs about 131% more than Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bali and Hikkaduwa are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Hikkaduwa 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.80 Rp 50.5K
$3.79 LKR 1,259
-26.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.85 Rp 519.4K
$24.42 LKR 8,120
18.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 Rp 85.8K
$7.43 LKR 2,472
-35.94%
Cappuccino
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$2.52 LKR 837
-11.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 Rp 23.3K
$0.72 LKR 241
80.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 Rp 10.2K
$0.25 LKR 82.7
124.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$2.26 LKR 752
-1.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$3.10 LKR 1,031
14.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 Rp 25.3K
$1.57 LKR 523
-10.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.18 Rp 39.3K
$0.57 LKR 188
282.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 Rp 18.8K
$0.81 LKR 270
29.63%
Eggs
$1.92 Rp 34.6K
$1.65 LKR 550
16.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.84 Rp 267.2K
$15.32 LKR 5,094
-3.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 Rp 69.5K
$4.95 LKR 1,646
-22.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.69 Rp 192.4K
$7.78 LKR 2,588
37.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 Rp 60.1K
$6.46 LKR 2,148
-48.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.3K
$0.86 LKR 287
69.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 Rp 40.0K
$4.09 LKR 1,359
-45.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 Rp 32.5K
$1.28 LKR 426
40.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 Rp 30.9K
$1.09 LKR 361
57.80%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.1K
$0.77 LKR 256
189.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 Rp 16.5K
$1.19 LKR 397
-22.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,288
$0.45 LKR 150
2.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.06 Rp 37.0K
$10.14 LKR 3,372
-79.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.38 Rp 366.9K
$13.61 LKR 4,527
49.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 Rp 39.0K
$1.95 LKR 648
10.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 Rp 51.3K
$2.94 LKR 979
-3.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,519
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.68 Rp 156.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,936
$0.40 LKR 134
10.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,747
$0.31 LKR 103
38.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 Rp 96.9K
$0.93 LKR 309
478.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.85 Rp 15.3K
$1.38 LKR 460
-38.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 427.4M
$44.2K LKR 14.7M
-46.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K Rp 591.4M
$45.4K LKR 15.1M
-27.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.7 Rp 1.4M
$57.9 LKR 19.3K
32.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.33 Rp 113.9K
$4.33 LKR 1,441
46.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.93 Rp 340.8K
$20.86 LKR 6,936
-9.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.65 Rp 749.9K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.78 Rp 266.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.58 Rp 64.4K
$4.60 LKR 1,529
-22.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$437 Rp 7.9M
$40.69 LKR 13.5K
973.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K Rp 198.7M
$17.3K LKR 5.7M
-36.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.09 Rp 775.7K
$18.18 LKR 6,045
137.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.51 Rp 603.2K
$17.74 LKR 5,900
88.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$79.6 LKR 26.5K
-5.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.9 Rp 1.3M
$42.26 LKR 14.1K
74.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$957 Rp 17.2M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$570 Rp 10.3M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,028 Rp 54.5M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 Rp 26.0M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,096 Rp 37.7M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,885 Rp 33.9M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$215 Rp 3.9M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
12.5
10.24%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Hikkaduwa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$570
Hikkaduwa
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$263
Hikkaduwa
$243 7.5% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$102
Hikkaduwa
$83 18.5% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Hikkaduwa
$71 30% $30
Eating Out
Bali
$89
Hikkaduwa
$104 16.8% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$49
Hikkaduwa
$9.2 * 81.2% $40
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Hikkaduwa
$2 * 84.1% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali versus $24 in Hikkaduwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $243 – making Hikkaduwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa
🕒 Local time
10:52 10:52 AM
08:22 8:22 AM
2 h 30 min behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
101,342
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18,003 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Hikkaduwa 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Hikkaduwa

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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Hikkaduwa?
Bali costs about 131% more than Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 Hikkaduwa?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,780 per month in Bali and $769 in Hikkaduwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Hikkaduwa?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $513 in Hikkaduwa. That makes Hikkaduwa about 57% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Bali and in Hikkaduwa?
Kindergarten costs $437 per month in Bali and $41 in Hikkaduwa. 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 Hikkaduwa?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hikkaduwa, where all-in costs run around $513, than in Bali at $1,187. In Hikkaduwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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