Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Kottayam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kottayam: $281 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
13

Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
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Kottayam Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Kottayam

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $281 in Kottayam, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Kottayam $281

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $459 in Kottayam, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Kottayam $459

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $637 in Kottayam, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Kottayam $637

Bali costs about 323% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Kottayam are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Kottayam 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

$1.04 ₹97.5

169.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 522.3K

$9.74 ₹915

196.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.2K

$3.19 ₹299

49.22%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$0.76 ₹71.5

193.42%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

$0.31 ₹28.98

319.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.13 ₹12.39

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.26 ₹118

76.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

$1.90 ₹178

86.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$0.62 ₹58.0

127.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

$0.49 ₹45.90

344.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.54 ₹50.6

94.44%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$0.84 ₹79.0

128.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 268.7K

$2.15 ₹202

590.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.9K

$3.73 ₹351

3.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 193.4K

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.4K

$2.06 ₹193

62.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$0.56 ₹52.5

160.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$0.89 ₹84.0

149.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

$0.49 ₹46.45

267.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.1K

$0.35 ₹32.81

391.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$0.38 ₹35.70

486.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$0.59 ₹55.6

55.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,333

$0.25 ₹23.38

84.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$5.03 ₹472

-59.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 368.9K

$3.12 ₹293

553.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.2K

$1.60 ₹150

35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.6K

$2.16 ₹203

31.94%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.43 ₹322

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,544

$0.28 ₹26.07

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 157.2K

$7.70 ₹723

12.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,980

$2.05 ₹192

-78.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,789

$0.20 ₹18.77

115.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.5K

$2.14 ₹201

151.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.07 ₹100

-20.56%

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

$23.7K Rp 429.8M

$11.1K ₹1.0M

113.59%

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

$32.9K Rp 594.7M

$14.9K ₹1.4M

120.67%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$20.81 ₹1,955

268.77%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.5K

$2.97 ₹279

113.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 342.7K

$6.02 ₹565

214.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 754.0K

$6.39 ₹600

551.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 267.5K

$8.96 ₹841

64.96%

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.8K

$1.70 ₹160

110.59%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$10.69 ₹1,004

3986.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 199.8M

$506 ₹47.5K

2081.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 780.0K

$15.78 ₹1,481

173.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 606.6K

$16.13 ₹1,514

107.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$20.86 ₹1,959

259.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$11.93 ₹1,121

519.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.3M

$118 ₹11.1K

711.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$74.3 ₹6,972

667.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.8M

$264 ₹24.8K

1047.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.2M

$172 ₹16.1K

741.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.9M

$955 ₹89.7K

119.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.1M

$559 ₹52.5K

237.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$291 ₹27.3K

-26.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

53.11%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kottayam: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Kottayam

$74 26.4% 87% $496

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Kottayam

$87 31% 66.9% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Kottayam

$30 10.6% 70.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Kottayam

$29 10.4% 71.3% $72

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Kottayam

$39 13.8% 56.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Kottayam

$9.8 3.5% 79.9% $39

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Kottayam

$12 4.2% 3.4% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $118 in Kottayam. 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 35% higher in Kottayam, 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 $29 in Bali versus $10 in Kottayam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $87 – making Kottayam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

23:55 11:55 PM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,374

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Kottayam 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Kottayam

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 Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 323% more than Kottayam, 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 $1,780 per month in Bali and $421 in Kottayam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kottayam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $10 in Kottayam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $281 in Kottayam. That makes Kottayam about 76% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kottayam, where all-in costs run around $281, than in Bali at $1,187. In Kottayam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kottayam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Kottayam is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 76% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.