Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Lae

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $825 a month against $1,224 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Lae

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

A single person spends $1,224 per month in Bali vs $825 in Lae, rent included.

Bali $1,224
Lae $825

A couple spends around $2,064 per month in Bali vs $1,464 in Lae, rent included.

Bali $2,064
Lae $1,464

A family of three spends $2,904 per month in Bali vs $2,103 in Lae, rent included.

Bali $2,904
Lae $2,103

Bali costs about 48% more than Lae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bali and Lae are more affordable than the global median – Bali 9% lower, Lae 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

$24.56 PGK 108

-88.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

$50.0 PGK 219

-40.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

Cappuccino

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

$2.66 PGK 11.67

-16.54%

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

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

$0.79 PGK 3.47

73.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

$0.54 PGK 2.35

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

$3.27 PGK 14.33

-32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

$5.20 PGK 22.78

-30.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

$2.02 PGK 8.85

-28.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

$1.47 PGK 6.42

47.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

$1.28 PGK 5.61

-12.50%

Eggs

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

$3.95 PGK 17.30

-50.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

$9.51 PGK 41.69

72.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

$8.83 PGK 38.70

-58.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

$10.71 PGK 46.93

7.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

$4.55 PGK 19.94

-25.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

$2.78 PGK 12.18

-47.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

$6.04 PGK 26.46

-64.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

$1.51 PGK 6.64

25.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

$3.49 PGK 15.31

-48.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

$2.39 PGK 10.46

-6.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$0.68 PGK 3.00

38.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,577

$0.91 PGK 4.00

-47.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$6.58 PGK 28.83

-67.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

$12.02 PGK 52.7

82.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

$2.47 PGK 10.81

-8.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

$4.28 PGK 18.76

-35.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,661

$0.32 PGK 1.39

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,853

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,491

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

$0.96 PGK 4.23

-6.25%

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

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

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

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

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

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

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

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

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

$442 Rp 7.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 Rp 17.8M

$445 PGK 1,951

123.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 Rp 10.5M

$260 PGK 1,141

126.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

$1,193 PGK 5,228

158.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

$611 PGK 2,677

144.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$157 PGK 689

41.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lae: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$588 48%

Lae

–

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$274 22.4%

Lae

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Lae

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$104 8.5%

Lae

–

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.3%

Lae

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Lae

–

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Lae

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Bali versus $445 in Lae. 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 42% higher in Bali, 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 $50.0 in Lae. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $306 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇵🇬 Lae

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

2 h ahead of Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,948

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, 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).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bali Lae 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Lae

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 Lae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 48% more than Lae, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,238 in Lae. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lae, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,224 in Bali and $825 in Lae. That's a gap of about 48%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Bali – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lae, where all-in costs run around $825, than in Bali at $1,224. In Lae it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lae costs $825 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 Lae. 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.