Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Nakhon Ratchasima

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $778 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Nakhon Ratchasima

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $778 in Nakhon Ratchasima, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Nakhon Ratchasima $778

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $1,275 in Nakhon Ratchasima, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,275

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $1,773 in Nakhon Ratchasima, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,773

Bali costs about 59% more than Nakhon Ratchasima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Nakhon Ratchasima are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Nakhon Ratchasima 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$2.85 ฿95.2

-3.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$26.19 ฿875

13.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$5.92 ฿198

-21.79%

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$1.90 ฿63.5

22.11%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$0.53 ฿17.68

164.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.31 ฿10.41

106.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$1.81 ฿60.6

20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

$2.70 ฿90.3

32.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$1.66 ฿55.6

-10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.22 ฿40.61

81.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$1.26 ฿42.25

-7.14%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$1.50 ฿50.1

34.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$15.26 ฿510

8.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$2.58 ฿86.1

42.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$10.27 ฿343

13.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$3.15 ฿105

9.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$1.26 ฿42.10

15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$1.92 ฿64.1

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$1.93 ฿64.6

-5.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$1.20 ฿40.12

49.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$1.04 ฿34.87

118.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.27 ฿42.32

-22.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.37 ฿12.50

37.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$2.84 ฿95.0

-24.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

$17.86 ฿597

20.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$1.70 ฿57.0

34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$2.99 ฿100.0

-4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$0.46 ฿15.47

-43.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

$19.17 ฿641

-58.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$1.06 ฿35.51

-54.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$1.09 ฿36.38

-60.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$7.29 ฿244

-22.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.33 ฿44.44

-38.35%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-47.41%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$26.8K ฿894.2K

18.62%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$89.1 ฿2,977

-8.71%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$11.76 ฿393

-44.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$19.28 ฿644

-5.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$46.96 ฿1,569

-0.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$15.08 ฿504

-0.20%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$4.79 ฿160

-22.96%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$176 ฿5,868

153.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$14.2K ฿475.9K

-63.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$50.1 ฿1,674

-14.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$28.96 ฿968

15.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$77.9 ฿2,604

-3.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$67.1 ฿2,244

9.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$221 ฿7,375

351.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$156 ฿5,221

281.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$487 ฿16.3K

527.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$418 ฿14.0K

261.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$3,378 ฿112.9K

-28.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$1,699 ฿56.8K

15.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$592 ฿19.8K

-62.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.1

170.20%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$156 20.1% 73.8% $440

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$235 30.3% 14.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$120 15.4% 13.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13% 0.3% $0.3

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$81 10.4% 9.8% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$57 7.3% 4.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$28 3.5% 137% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $221 in Nakhon Ratchasima. 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 169% higher in Nakhon Ratchasima, 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 $26.00 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $235 – making Nakhon Ratchasima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,391

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Nakhon Ratchasima 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Nakhon Ratchasima

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 Nakhon Ratchasima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 59% more than Nakhon Ratchasima, 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 $1,854 per month in Bali and $1,167 in Nakhon Ratchasima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima, 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 $26.00 in Nakhon Ratchasima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $778 in Nakhon Ratchasima. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nakhon Ratchasima, where all-in costs run around $778, than in Bali at $1,236. In Nakhon Ratchasima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nakhon Ratchasima costs $778 versus $1,236 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 Nakhon Ratchasima. 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.