Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $581 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
Learn more

Matara Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Matara

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $581 in Matara, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Matara $581

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $850 in Matara, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Matara $850

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $1,118 in Matara, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Matara $1,118

Bali costs about 104% more than Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bali and Matara are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Matara 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.6K

$3.86 LKR 1,283

-27.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 520.8K

$24.60 LKR 8,179

17.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.0K

$7.57 LKR 2,517

-37.12%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$2.44 LKR 813

-8.61%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$0.68 LKR 225

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.25 LKR 83.0

124.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$2.26 LKR 751

-1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$2.98 LKR 991

19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$1.58 LKR 526

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.4K

$0.57 LKR 190

282.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.78 LKR 260

34.62%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.7K

$1.45 LKR 484

32.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 267.9K

$15.08 LKR 5,013

-1.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.7K

$5.02 LKR 1,668

-23.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 192.9K

$7.69 LKR 2,558

39.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.2K

$6.67 LKR 2,218

-49.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$0.46 LKR 153

217.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.1K

$4.17 LKR 1,385

-46.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

$0.84 LKR 279

114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.97 LKR 322

77.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$0.62 LKR 208

259.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

$1.26 LKR 419

-26.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,308

$0.46 LKR 153

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.1K

$10.27 LKR 3,415

-79.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 367.8K

$13.79 LKR 4,585

47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

$1.77 LKR 589

22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

$2.84 LKR 943

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,531

$0.29 LKR 95.2

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 156.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,956

$0.41 LKR 135

7.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,766

$0.31 LKR 102

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.2K

$0.93 LKR 310

478.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.38 LKR 458

-38.41%

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

$23.7K Rp 428.5M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-45.30%

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

$32.9K Rp 592.9M

$45.7K LKR 15.2M

-28.18%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$44.63 LKR 14.8K

71.95%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.2K

$4.15 LKR 1,381

52.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 341.6K

$20.43 LKR 6,794

-7.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 751.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 266.7K

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.6K

$4.46 LKR 1,482

-19.73%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$40.78 LKR 13.6K

971.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 199.2M

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

-36.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 777.7K

$17.76 LKR 5,907

142.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 604.8K

$17.33 LKR 5,764

93.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

-3.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$41.81 LKR 13.9K

76.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.3M

$182 LKR 60.5K

426.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$88.6 LKR 29.4K

543.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.1M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$105 LKR 35.0K

104.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

12.5

10.24%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Matara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Matara

$89 15.3% 84.5% $481

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Matara

$238 40.9% 9.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Matara

$69 11.9% 32.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Matara

$69 12% 31.5% $32

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Matara

$104 17.9% 16.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Matara

$8.9 * 1.5% 81.7% $40

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Matara

$3.1 * 0.5% 74.8% $9.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $182 in Matara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bali are about 2 times higher, 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 in Bali versus $25 in Matara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $238 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Matara 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Matara

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 Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 104% more than Matara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $871 in Matara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $182 there versus $957 in Bali.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $581 in Matara. That makes Matara about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $437 per month in Bali and $41 in Matara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matara, where all-in costs run around $581, than in Bali at $1,187. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Matara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.