Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Luang Prabang

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $1,384 in Luang Prabang, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Luang Prabang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Luang Prabang
Learn more

Luang Prabang Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Luang Prabang

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,384

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Luang Prabang

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

A single person spends $1,224 per month in Bali vs $1,384 in Luang Prabang, rent included.

Bali $1,224
Luang Prabang $1,384

A couple spends around $2,064 per month in Bali vs $2,093 in Luang Prabang, rent included.

Bali $2,064
Luang Prabang $2,093

A family of three spends $2,904 per month in Bali vs $2,802 in Luang Prabang, rent included.

Bali $2,904
Luang Prabang $2,802

Bali is about 12% cheaper than Luang Prabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bali sits 9% below the global median, while Luang Prabang is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

$1.73 LAK 38.6K

58.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

$16.79 LAK 374.3K

76.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

$5.40 LAK 120.4K

-12.22%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

$1.57 LAK 35.0K

41.40%

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

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

$0.84 LAK 18.8K

63.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

$0.55 LAK 12.2K

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

$1.32 LAK 29.4K

67.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

$1.09 LAK 24.3K

232.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

$1.62 LAK 36.1K

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

Eggs

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

$23.85 LAK 531.9K

-31.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

$1.28 LAK 28.6K

163.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$1.01 LAK 22.5K

-6.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,577

$0.68 LAK 15.1K

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

Wine (Bottle)

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

$1.15 LAK 25.7K

96.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

$0.69 LAK 15.3K

301.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,661

$0.59 LAK 13.1K

-55.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

$57.6 LAK 1.3M

-85.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,853

$0.92 LAK 20.4K

-52.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,491

$1.14 LAK 25.5K

-63.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

$4.40 LAK 98.2K

28.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

$1.17 LAK 26.1K

-23.08%

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

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

$28.0K LAK 623.7M

-13.31%

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

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

$28.3K LAK 631.2M

11.30%

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

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

$81.4 LAK 1.8M

-1.62%

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

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

$5.54 LAK 123.5K

19.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

$6.52 LAK 145.5K

181.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

$82.6 LAK 1.8M

-44.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

$7.50 LAK 167.3K

103.20%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

$2.47 LAK 55.1K

50.20%

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

$442 Rp 7.9M

$244 LAK 5.4M

81.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

$8,822 LAK 196.7M

-40.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

$69.7 LAK 1.6M

-36.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

$59.5 LAK 1.3M

-42.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

$71.0 LAK 1.6M

8.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$51.9 LAK 1.2M

44.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 Rp 17.8M

$1,116 LAK 24.9M

-10.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 Rp 10.5M

$848 LAK 18.9M

-30.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

$1,858 LAK 41.4M

65.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

$1,731 LAK 38.6M

-13.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

$2,570 LAK 57.3M

-7.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

$172 LAK 3.8M

1075.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$202 LAK 4.5M

10.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.12

36.17%

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Luang Prabang: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$588 48%

Luang Prabang

$848 61.2% 44.1% $260

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$274 22.4%

Luang Prabang

$113 * 8.2% 58.6% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Luang Prabang

$93 6.7% 11% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$104 8.5%

Luang Prabang

$113 8.2% 9.4% $9.7

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.3%

Luang Prabang

$63 4.6% 29.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Luang Prabang

$88 6.3% 65.3% $35

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Luang Prabang

$67 4.8% 471% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Bali versus $1,116 in Luang Prabang. 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 11% higher in Bali, 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 $17.00 in Luang Prabang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $113 – making Luang Prabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇱🇦 Luang Prabang

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

18:24 6:24 PM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,792

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.48 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, 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 = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Lao Kip exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 22,300 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4.48 USD). 1 EUR = 24,989 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Luang Prabang 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Luang Prabang

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 Luang Prabang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luang Prabang costs about 13% 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 $1,836 per month in Bali and $2,076 in Luang Prabang. 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 $17.00 in Luang Prabang. 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 $1,384 in Luang Prabang. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Luang Prabang at $1,384. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Luang Prabang it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,224 versus $1,384 in Luang Prabang. 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, Luang Prabang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.