Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Manado

For one person, living is cheaper in Manado: $557 a month against $1,229 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,229
/mo nomad
Manado
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$557
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Manado

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Bali vs $557 in Manado, rent included.

  • Bali $1,229
  • Manado $557

A couple spends around $2,053 per month in Bali vs $881 in Manado, rent included.

  • Bali $2,053
  • Manado $881

A family of three spends $2,877 per month in Bali vs $1,206 in Manado, rent included.

  • Bali $2,877
  • Manado $1,206

Bali costs about 121% more than Manado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Manado are more affordable than the global median – Bali 9% lower, Manado 59% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Manado
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 Rp 49.5K
$1.44 Rp 25.9K
90.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.09 Rp 523.7K
$16.91 Rp 304.4K
72.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.66 Rp 83.9K
$2.78 Rp 50.0K
67.63%
Cappuccino
$2.31 Rp 41.5K
$1.75 Rp 31.6K
32.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 Rp 25.6K
$0.61 Rp 11.0K
132.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.4K
$0.25 Rp 4,526
156.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$3.42 Rp 61.6K
-34.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.61 Rp 64.9K
$2.75 Rp 49.6K
31.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Manado
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 Rp 25.8K
$1.38 Rp 24.8K
3.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.11 Rp 38.0K
$1.10 Rp 19.8K
91.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 Rp 20.6K
$0.77 Rp 13.9K
49.35%
Eggs
$1.96 Rp 35.3K
$1.85 Rp 33.2K
5.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.38 Rp 294.8K
$16.47 Rp 296.4K
-0.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.7K
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
31.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.70 Rp 210.6K
$6.25 Rp 112.5K
87.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.48 Rp 62.7K
$2.29 Rp 41.2K
51.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.4K
$1.51 Rp 27.1K
-3.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
$1.30 Rp 23.4K
70.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.90 Rp 34.3K
$1.02 Rp 18.3K
86.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 Rp 30.9K
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
107.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 Rp 39.4K
$2.78 Rp 50.1K
-21.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 17.9K
$0.80 Rp 14.3K
25.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,256
$0.45 Rp 8,183
13.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.08 Rp 37.4K
$2.38 Rp 42.8K
-12.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.20 Rp 381.6K
$20.83 Rp 374.9K
1.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 Rp 39.2K
$1.83 Rp 33.0K
19.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 Rp 51.9K
$3.02 Rp 54.4K
-4.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Manado
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,137
$0.30 Rp 5,363
-23.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.27 Rp 148.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.45 Rp 8,030
$0.52 Rp 9,385
-13.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,471
$0.34 Rp 6,183
38.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.42 Rp 97.6K
$2.68 Rp 48.2K
102.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$0.65 Rp 11.7K
27.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0K Rp 431.7M
$23.5K Rp 422.4M
2.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K Rp 573.5M
$31.5K Rp 566.9M
1.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Manado
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$52.9 Rp 951.8K
50.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.46 Rp 116.3K
$4.26 Rp 76.6K
51.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.69 Rp 336.4K
$14.10 Rp 253.8K
32.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Manado
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.96 Rp 827.2K
$13.16 Rp 236.9K
249.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.87 Rp 267.7K
$8.53 Rp 153.5K
74.33%
Cinema Ticket
$3.67 Rp 66.1K
$2.56 Rp 46.1K
43.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Manado
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$443 Rp 8.0M
$126 Rp 2.3M
252.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,164 Rp 93.0M
$4,771 Rp 85.9M
8.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Manado
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.58 Rp 784.5K
$55.1 Rp 991.0K
-20.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.98 Rp 593.7K
$20.35 Rp 366.3K
62.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.3M
$69.5 Rp 1.3M
7.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.0 Rp 1.3M
$64.5 Rp 1.2M
16.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Manado
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$975 Rp 17.5M
$253 Rp 4.5M
285.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 Rp 10.7M
$81.6 Rp 1.5M
627.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,065 Rp 55.2M
$302 Rp 5.4M
915.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,463 Rp 26.3M
$169 Rp 3.0M
767.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,391 Rp 43.0M
$1,185 Rp 21.3M
101.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,945 Rp 35.0M
$790 Rp 14.2M
146.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Manado
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$216 Rp 3.9M
$215 Rp 3.9M
0.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
10
37.80%

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

Last update for Bali: October 20, 2026

Last update for Manado: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$593
Manado
$82 86.2% $512
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$273
Manado
$221 19% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$105
Manado
$71 31.9% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$102
Manado
$94 7.6% $7.7
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Manado
$67 25.8% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$53
Manado
$18 65.7% $35
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Manado
$3.4 * 71.4% $8.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Bali versus $253 in Manado. 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 0% 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 $29.00 in Bali versus $17.00 in Manado. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $221 – making Manado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇮🇩 Manado
🕒 Local time
20:29 8:29 PM
20:29 8:29 PM
Same time as Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
423,257
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Manado 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Manado

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 Manado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Manado?
Bali costs about 121% more than Manado, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bali and in Manado?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Bali and $836 in Manado. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Manado?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Manado, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Manado?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,229 in Bali and $557 in Manado. That's a gap of about 121%.
How do childcare costs compare in Bali and in Manado?
Kindergarten costs $443 per month in Bali and $126 in Manado. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Bali or in Manado?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Manado, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Bali at $1,229. In Manado it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bali or Manado?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manado costs $557 versus $1,229 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bali compared to Manado?
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.
Should I move to Bali or to Manado?
If budget matters most, go with Manado. 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.

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