Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Nara

For one person, living costs are similar in Bali and in Nara: $1,236 and $1,215 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
Learn more

Nara Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Nara

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $1,215 in Nara, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Nara $1,215

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $1,828 in Nara, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Nara $1,828

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $2,442 in Nara, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Nara $2,442

Bali costs about 2% more than Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bali and Nara are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Nara 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$6.40 ¥1,011

-56.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$31.96 ¥5,049

-6.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$5.10 ¥805

-9.22%

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$2.48 ¥392

-6.45%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$1.30 ¥206

7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.75 ¥119

-14.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$3.10 ¥489

-29.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

$3.06 ¥483

16.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$1.50 ¥238

-0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.34 ¥211

64.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$4.05 ¥640

-71.11%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$2.13 ¥336

-5.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$9.60 ¥1,517

72.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$7.01 ¥1,108

-47.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$17.82 ¥2,815

-34.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$3.41 ¥539

0.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$1.99 ¥315

-26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$2.01 ¥317

11.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$4.01 ¥633

-54.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$1.57 ¥248

14.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$1.16 ¥184

95.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.12 ¥177

-11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.81 ¥128

-37.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$3.82 ¥604

-43.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

$9.49 ¥1,500

125.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$1.93 ¥305

18.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$2.13 ¥337

34.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$1.55 ¥245

-83.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

$72.0 ¥11.4K

-88.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$3.23 ¥510

-85.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$2.83 ¥447

-84.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$15.70 ¥2,480

-64.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.11 ¥175

-26.13%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

8.30%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

113.13%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$115 ¥18.2K

-29.52%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$24.28 ¥3,836

-73.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$30.63 ¥4,840

-40.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$82.2 ¥13.0K

-43.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$7.44 ¥1,176

102.28%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$11.85 ¥1,872

-68.86%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$511 ¥80.8K

-12.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

-59.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$48.43 ¥7,652

-11.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$30.90 ¥4,882

8.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$59.5 ¥9,398

26.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$88.7 ¥14.0K

-16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$404 ¥63.8K

146.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$333 ¥52.7K

78.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$810 ¥128.0K

277.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$544 ¥86.0K

177.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$2,669 ¥421.6K

-8.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$1,959 ¥309.5K

0.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$1,110 ¥175.3K

-80.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

2.02

582.18%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Nara

$333 27.4% 44.1% $263

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Nara

$282 23.2% 1.8% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Nara

$170 14% 60.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Nara

$102 8.4% 1.2% $1.2

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Nara

$126 10.4% 40.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Nara

$106 8.7% 95.2% $52

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Nara

$96 7.9% 721% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $404 in Nara. 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 404% higher in Nara, 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 $32.00 in Nara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $282 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h ahead of Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

355,280

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Nara 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Nara

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 Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 2% more than Nara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,823 in Nara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nara, 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 $32.00 in Nara. 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 $1,215 in Nara. That's a gap of about 2%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nara, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Bali at $1,236. In Nara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nara costs $1,215 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 Nara. 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.