Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,214 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Phuket

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

A single person spends $1,214 per month in Bali vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Bali $1,214
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,047 per month in Bali vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Bali $2,047
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,880 per month in Bali vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Bali $2,880
Phuket $3,154

Bali is about 5% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bali and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Bali 11% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.73 Rp 49.5K

$4.47 ฿151

-38.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.91 Rp 524.4K

$32.41 ฿1,094

-10.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 Rp 82.7K

$8.81 ฿297

-48.24%

Cappuccino

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$2.83 ฿95.4

-20.14%

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

$1.43 Rp 25.9K

$0.87 ฿29.42

64.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 Rp 12.4K

$0.49 ฿16.66

38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.56 ฿86.3

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 Rp 66.8K

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.66 ฿56.0

-10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$1.46 ฿49.32

49.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 Rp 20.7K

$1.50 ฿50.5

-24.00%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.6K

$2.09 ฿70.5

-3.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.81 Rp 304.8K

$19.07 ฿643

-11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 Rp 64.8K

$3.30 ฿111

8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 Rp 205.1K

$10.91 ฿368

3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.5K

$2.93 ฿98.9

17.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

$1.69 ฿57.0

-10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.7K

$2.25 ฿75.8

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$2.08 ฿70.1

-9.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 31.0K

$1.51 ฿51.0

13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 42.0K

$1.38 ฿46.54

68.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.07 ฿35.97

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 Rp 9,066

$0.52 ฿17.51

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

$4.20 ฿142

-51.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.49 Rp 389.8K

$18.79 ฿634

14.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 Rp 38.7K

$1.82 ฿61.5

17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Rp 52.0K

$2.84 ฿95.9

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$1.45 ฿49.00

-82.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 160.0K

$56.7 ฿1,912

-84.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,153

$3.02 ฿102

-85.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 Rp 7,975

$1.02 ฿34.34

-56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 Rp 99.4K

$3.69 ฿125

48.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.47 ฿49.78

-39.46%

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

$24.3K Rp 440.7M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-9.26%

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

$31.9K Rp 579.4M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

19.67%

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

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$96.4 ฿3,252

-17.13%

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

$6.55 Rp 118.8K

$11.26 ฿380

-41.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.48 Rp 335.2K

$16.85 ฿569

9.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 Rp 737.5K

$67.2 ฿2,269

-39.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.93 Rp 270.7K

$10.73 ฿362

39.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.67 Rp 66.5K

$7.50 ฿253

-51.07%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$476 ฿16.1K

-8.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,063 Rp 91.8M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-55.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.62 Rp 791.2K

$62.4 ฿2,105

-30.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.69 Rp 593.0K

$28.41 ฿959

15.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

$94.3 ฿3,182

-21.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 Rp 1.3M

$85.8 ฿2,896

-13.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 Rp 17.8M

$716 ฿24.2K

37.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 Rp 10.6M

$491 ฿16.6K

18.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,121 Rp 56.6M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

61.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 Rp 26.8M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

3.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 Rp 44.4M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-41.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.6M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-35.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$502 ฿17.0K

-57.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$583 48%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 15.8% $92

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$275 22.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.2% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 18.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.8% $21

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$48 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 71.3% $34

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 466% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $984 in Bali versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Bali vs $266 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Phuket 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 5% more than Bali, 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 $1,821 per month in Bali and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $984 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $32 in Phuket. 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 $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Bali about 5% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,214 in Bali and $1,278 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,214 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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