Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Koh Samui

For one person, living costs are similar in Bali and in Koh Samui: $1,224 and $1,183 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Koh Samui

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

A single person spends $1,224 per month in Bali vs $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Bali $1,224
Koh Samui $1,183

A couple spends around $2,064 per month in Bali vs $1,939 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Bali $2,064
Koh Samui $1,939

A family of three spends $2,904 per month in Bali vs $2,694 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Bali $2,904
Koh Samui $2,694

Bali costs about 3% more than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bali and Koh Samui are more affordable than the global median – Bali 9% lower, Koh Samui 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

$4.36 ฿146

-37.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

$32.80 ฿1,098

-9.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

$8.50 ฿285

-44.24%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

$2.73 ฿91.3

-18.68%

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

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

$0.94 ฿31.60

45.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

$0.50 ฿16.59

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

$2.54 ฿84.9

-12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

$3.73 ฿125

-2.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

$1.74 ฿58.2

-17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

$1.46 ฿48.79

48.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

$1.56 ฿52.2

-28.21%

Eggs

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

$2.10 ฿70.3

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

$19.60 ฿656

-16.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

$3.27 ฿110

11.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

$10.94 ฿366

5.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

$2.96 ฿99.0

13.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

$1.69 ฿56.5

-13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

$2.22 ฿74.2

-3.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

$2.10 ฿70.3

-9.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

$1.46 ฿48.79

23.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

$1.33 ฿44.53

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$1.11 ฿37.27

-15.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,577

$0.51 ฿16.97

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$4.23 ฿142

-49.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

$18.25 ฿611

20.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

$1.74 ฿58.3

29.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

$2.87 ฿95.9

-3.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,661

$2.46 ฿82.5

-89.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

$45.15 ฿1,512

-82.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,853

$3.08 ฿103

-85.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,491

$1.06 ฿35.62

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

$3.89 ฿130

45.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

$1.50 ฿50.3

-40.00%

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

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

$28.2K ฿944.4K

-14.04%

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

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

$27.7K ฿925.9K

13.91%

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

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

$102 ฿3,405

-21.29%

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

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

$11.78 ฿394

-43.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

$17.76 ฿595

3.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

$54.1 ฿1,812

-15.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

$11.53 ฿386

32.18%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

$7.73 ฿259

-52.01%

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

$442 Rp 7.9M

$615 ฿20.6K

-28.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

$12.4K ฿415.9K

-57.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

$61.9 ฿2,073

-28.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

$28.96 ฿969

17.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

$94.6 ฿3,167

-18.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$88.2 ฿2,951

-14.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 Rp 17.8M

$619 ฿20.7K

60.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 Rp 10.5M

$389 ฿13.0K

51.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

$1,761 ฿59.0K

75.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

$1,025 ฿34.3K

45.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

$2,971 ฿99.5K

-19.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

$2,176 ฿72.8K

-7.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$397 ฿13.3K

-43.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$588 48%

Koh Samui

$389 33.5% 33.9% $200

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$274 22.4%

Koh Samui

$267 23% 2.5% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Koh Samui

$131 11.3% 25% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$104 8.5%

Koh Samui

$123 10.6% 18.7% $19

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.3%

Koh Samui

$119 10.2% 33.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Koh Samui

$70 6% 31.3% $17

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Koh Samui

$63 5.5% 444% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Bali versus $619 in Koh Samui. 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 78% higher in Koh Samui, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali versus $33.00 in Koh Samui. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Bali vs $267 in Koh Samui – so Koh Samui wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Koh Samui 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Koh Samui

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 Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 3% more than Koh Samui, 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 $1,836 per month in Bali and $1,775 in Koh Samui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Samui, 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 $33.00 in Koh Samui. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,224 in Bali and $1,183 in Koh Samui. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Bali at $1,224. In Koh Samui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Koh Samui costs $1,183 versus $1,224 in Bali. 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 Koh Samui. 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.