Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $614 a month against $1,214 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Palembang

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

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Bali vs $614 in Palembang, rent included.

Bali $1,214
Palembang $614

A couple spends around $2,047 per month in Bali vs $962 in Palembang, rent included.

Bali $2,047
Palembang $962

A family of three spends $2,880 per month in Bali vs $1,310 in Palembang, rent included.

Bali $2,880
Palembang $1,310

Bali costs about 98% more than Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Palembang are more affordable than the global median – Bali 11% lower, Palembang 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.8K

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

146.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 Rp 510.6K

$15.66 Rp 284.4K

79.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 Rp 83.0K

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

64.39%

Cappuccino

$2.24 Rp 40.8K

$1.32 Rp 23.9K

69.70%

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

$1.35 Rp 24.6K

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 Rp 10.3K

$0.24 Rp 4,365

137.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 Rp 40.6K

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 Rp 67.1K

$3.26 Rp 59.1K

13.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

31.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

97.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

32.93%

Eggs

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$1.27 Rp 23.0K

55.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 Rp 274.9K

$7.21 Rp 130.9K

109.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 Rp 66.2K

$2.86 Rp 52.0K

27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 Rp 194.4K

$7.43 Rp 134.9K

44.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 Rp 62.7K

$2.13 Rp 38.7K

61.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.5K

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

23.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 Rp 40.0K

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

38.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

46.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 31.0K

$1.23 Rp 22.4K

39.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 42.0K

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

39.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.1K

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 Rp 9,078

$0.40 Rp 7,191

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.19 Rp 39.7K

-6.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.77 Rp 377.3K

$20.54 Rp 373.0K

1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 Rp 38.8K

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

19.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Rp 52.1K

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,568

$0.40 Rp 7,264

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.81 Rp 160.0K

$11.18 Rp 203.0K

-21.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,163

$0.53 Rp 9,680

-15.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 Rp 7,985

$0.33 Rp 6,014

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 Rp 99.7K

$2.66 Rp 48.3K

106.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

5.88%

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

$24.3K Rp 442.1M

$23.0K Rp 417.9M

5.79%

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

$32.0K Rp 581.1M

$31.4K Rp 569.6M

2.01%

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

$76.4 Rp 1.4M

$70.7 Rp 1.3M

8.00%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

$4.22 Rp 76.7K

52.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.44 Rp 353.0K

$18.90 Rp 343.2K

2.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 Rp 761.6K

$18.31 Rp 332.6K

129.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.95 Rp 271.4K

$7.75 Rp 140.7K

92.90%

Cinema Ticket

$3.68 Rp 66.8K

$2.67 Rp 48.6K

37.83%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$100 Rp 1.8M

336.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K Rp 196.8M

$6,925 Rp 125.8M

56.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.70 Rp 793.7K

$42.58 Rp 773.2K

2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.75 Rp 594.8K

$27.81 Rp 505.0K

17.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 Rp 1.3M

$73.5 Rp 1.3M

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 Rp 1.4M

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

7.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 Rp 17.2M

$225 Rp 4.1M

320.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 Rp 10.4M

$143 Rp 2.6M

300.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,123 Rp 56.7M

$499 Rp 9.1M

526.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 Rp 25.7M

$323 Rp 5.9M

338.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,103 Rp 38.2M

$1,157 Rp 21.0M

81.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 Rp 34.8M

$754 Rp 13.7M

154.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$210 Rp 3.8M

$299 Rp 5.4M

-29.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.46

45.67%

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

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Last update for Palembang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$583 48%

Palembang

$143 23.3% 75.5% $440

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$275 22.7%

Palembang

$190 31% 30.8% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Palembang

$94 15.3% 10.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.3%

Palembang

$96 15.6% 4.9% $5

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.4%

Palembang

$52 8.5% 42.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$48 4%

Palembang

$24 3.9% 50.7% $24

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Palembang

$15 2.4% 20% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $984 in Bali versus $225 in Palembang. 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 39% higher in Palembang, 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 $29 in Bali versus $16 in Palembang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $190 – making Palembang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇩 Palembang

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,708,413

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bali Palembang 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Palembang

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 Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 98% more than Palembang, 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 $1,821 per month in Bali and $920 in Palembang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palembang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $225 there versus $984 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $16 in Palembang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,214 in Bali and $614 in Palembang. That makes Palembang about 49% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palembang, where all-in costs run around $614, than in Bali at $1,214. In Palembang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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