Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $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 Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Polonnaruwa

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

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

Bali $1,187
Polonnaruwa $510

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $829 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Polonnaruwa $829

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $1,148 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Polonnaruwa $1,148

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

$3.89 LKR 1,294

-28.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 522.3K

$25.28 LKR 8,407

14.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.2K

$7.32 LKR 2,435

-34.97%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.56 LKR 850

-12.89%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

$0.69 LKR 228

88.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.27 LKR 89.8

107.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.17 LKR 721

2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

$2.98 LKR 990

19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$1.58 LKR 526

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

$0.54 LKR 178

303.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.81 LKR 269

29.63%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$1.70 LKR 566

12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 268.7K

$15.24 LKR 5,068

-2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.9K

$4.93 LKR 1,638

-21.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 193.4K

$7.66 LKR 2,547

39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.4K

$6.48 LKR 2,156

-48.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$0.81 LKR 269

80.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$4.25 LKR 1,414

-47.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

$1.27 LKR 423

41.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.1K

$1.04 LKR 345

65.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$0.77 LKR 255

189.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$1.26 LKR 419

-26.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,333

$0.42 LKR 139

9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$10.10 LKR 3,357

-79.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 368.9K

$13.57 LKR 4,512

50.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.2K

$1.87 LKR 622

15.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.6K

$2.98 LKR 990

-4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,544

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 157.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,980

$0.37 LKR 124

18.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,789

$0.31 LKR 102

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.5K

$0.86 LKR 285

525.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.32 LKR 438

-35.61%

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

$23.7K Rp 429.8M

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-46.56%

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

$32.9K Rp 594.7M

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-27.86%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

32.36%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.5K

$4.27 LKR 1,418

48.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 342.7K

$20.36 LKR 6,771

-7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 754.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 267.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.8K

$4.60 LKR 1,531

-22.17%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

985.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 199.8M

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-35.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 780.0K

$18.01 LKR 5,988

139.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 606.6K

$17.32 LKR 5,760

93.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

-4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

79.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.1M

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 Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5% 7.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2% 19% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7% 31.2% $32

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5% 17% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 81.1% $40

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4% 84.5% $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 Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $242 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,231 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 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 Polonnaruwa 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 133% more than Polonnaruwa, 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 $765 in Polonnaruwa. 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 Polonnaruwa. That makes Polonnaruwa about 57% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $437 per month in Bali and $40 in Polonnaruwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Bali at $1,187. In Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa 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.