Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $510 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Nuwara Eliya

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $510 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Nuwara Eliya $510

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $827 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Nuwara Eliya $827

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $1,145 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Nuwara Eliya $1,145

Bali costs about 133% more than Nuwara Eliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bali and Nuwara Eliya are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Nuwara Eliya 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.5K

$3.85 LKR 1,281

-27.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 519.4K

$24.56 LKR 8,166

17.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 85.8K

$7.65 LKR 2,544

-37.78%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$2.43 LKR 808

-8.23%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$0.37 LKR 122

251.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.25 LKR 82.5

124.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$2.19 LKR 728

1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$3.03 LKR 1,008

17.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.3K

$1.56 LKR 520

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.3K

$0.53 LKR 175

311.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.8K

$0.74 LKR 247

41.89%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$1.70 LKR 564

12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 267.2K

$15.44 LKR 5,134

-3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.5K

$5.10 LKR 1,695

-24.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 192.4K

$7.42 LKR 2,466

44.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

$6.74 LKR 2,242

-50.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.3K

$0.84 LKR 279

73.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$4.17 LKR 1,388

-46.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

$1.27 LKR 422

41.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

$1.08 LKR 360

59.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

$0.83 LKR 276

168.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

$1.21 LKR 403

-23.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,288

$0.45 LKR 150

2.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.0K

$10.43 LKR 3,470

-80.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 366.9K

$13.78 LKR 4,581

47.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.0K

$1.93 LKR 643

11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.3K

$2.97 LKR 989

-4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,519

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 156.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,936

$0.37 LKR 124

18.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,747

$0.31 LKR 103

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 96.9K

$0.86 LKR 286

525.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.33 LKR 441

-36.09%

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

$23.7K Rp 427.4M

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-45.69%

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

$32.9K Rp 591.4M

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-28.01%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

36.06%

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

$6.33 Rp 113.9K

$4.13 LKR 1,375

53.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 340.8K

$20.61 LKR 6,852

-8.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 749.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 266.0K

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.4K

$4.50 LKR 1,496

-20.44%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$39.94 LKR 13.3K

993.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 198.7M

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

-36.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 775.7K

$18.00 LKR 5,986

139.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 603.2K

$17.55 LKR 5,837

90.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

-5.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$41.09 LKR 13.7K

79.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.0M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 33.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

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 Nuwara Eliya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$245 48.1% 6.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Nuwara Eliya

$81 15.9% 20.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Nuwara Eliya

$70 13.8% 30.7% $31

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Nuwara Eliya

$102 20.1% 14.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 81.6% $40

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Nuwara Eliya

$1.9 * 0.4% 84.4% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali versus $25 in Nuwara Eliya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $245 – making Nuwara Eliya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,500

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18,003 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Nuwara Eliya 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 133% more than Nuwara Eliya, 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 $764 in Nuwara Eliya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $510 in Nuwara Eliya. That makes Nuwara Eliya about 57% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $437 per month in Bali and $40 in Nuwara Eliya. 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 Nuwara Eliya, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Bali at $1,187. In Nuwara Eliya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $510 in Nuwara Eliya to $1,187 in Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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