Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Kobe

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,236 a month against $1,381 in Kobe, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Kobe despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Kobe

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $1,381 in Kobe, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Kobe $1,381

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $2,056 in Kobe, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Kobe $2,056

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $2,732 in Kobe, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Kobe $2,732

Bali is about 10% cheaper than Kobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bali sits 8% below the global median, while Kobe is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$7.75 ¥1,224

-64.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$30.99 ¥4,896

-3.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$4.76 ¥752

-2.73%

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$2.34 ¥370

-0.85%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$1.14 ¥180

22.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.62 ¥97.6

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$2.05 ¥324

6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

$2.33 ¥369

53.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$1.53 ¥242

-2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.25 ¥198

76.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$4.19 ¥662

-72.08%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$2.00 ¥317

1.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$12.57 ¥1,985

31.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$7.06 ¥1,115

-47.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$17.20 ¥2,717

-32.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$7.99 ¥1,263

-56.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$2.94 ¥464

-50.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$5.09 ¥804

-55.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$7.64 ¥1,208

-76.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$3.86 ¥610

-53.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$3.37 ¥533

-32.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.18 ¥186

-16.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.88 ¥140

-42.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$3.40 ¥538

-36.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

$8.29 ¥1,309

158.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$1.96 ¥310

16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$1.50 ¥237

90.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$1.47 ¥232

-82.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

$64.1 ¥10.1K

-87.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$3.17 ¥501

-84.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$3.17 ¥501

-86.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$26.12 ¥4,127

-78.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.10 ¥173

-25.45%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$20.1K ¥3.2M

17.71%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$15.5K ¥2.4M

105.24%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$143 ¥22.6K

-43.04%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$23.62 ¥3,732

-72.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$31.28 ¥4,942

-41.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$45.38 ¥7,170

3.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$11.47 ¥1,813

31.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$11.46 ¥1,810

-67.80%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$317 ¥50.0K

40.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$6,099 ¥963.6K

-14.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$49.73 ¥7,857

-14.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$25.25 ¥3,988

32.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$46.07 ¥7,279

62.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$64.8 ¥10.2K

13.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$683 ¥107.8K

45.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$459 ¥72.5K

29.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$1,057 ¥166.9K

189.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$741 ¥117.1K

103.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$4,263 ¥673.4K

-42.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$2,821 ¥445.7K

-30.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$1,962 ¥310.0K

-88.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

2.02

582.18%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kobe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Kobe

$459 33.3% 23% $137

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Kobe

$356 25.8% 28.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Kobe

$198 14.3% 86.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Kobe

$84 6.1% 17.3% $18

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Kobe

$126 9.2% 40.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Kobe

$68 5% 25.9% $14

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Kobe

$89 6.5% 665% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $683 in Kobe. 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 791% higher in Kobe, 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 $31.00 in Kobe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $356 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇯🇵 Kobe

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

16:23 4:23 PM

1 h ahead of Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, 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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bali Kobe 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Kobe

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 Kobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kobe costs about 12% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $2,071 in Kobe. 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 $31.00 in Kobe. 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 $1,381 in Kobe. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,236, than in Kobe at $1,381. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kobe it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,236 versus $1,381 in Kobe. 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, Kobe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.