Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,224
/mo nomad
Ras al-Khaimah
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$1,827
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,224 per month in Bali vs $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

  • Bali $1,224
  • Ras al-Khaimah $1,827

A couple spends around $2,064 per month in Bali vs $2,818 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

  • Bali $2,064
  • Ras al-Khaimah $2,818

A family of three spends $2,904 per month in Bali vs $3,809 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

  • Bali $2,904
  • Ras al-Khaimah $3,809

Bali is about 33% cheaper than Ras al-Khaimah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bali sits 9% below the global median, while Ras al-Khaimah is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.74 Rp 49.0K
$13.51 AED 49.61
-79.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.64 Rp 529.8K
$40.50 AED 149
-26.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.74 Rp 84.7K
$7.83 AED 28.76
-39.46%
Cappuccino
$2.22 Rp 39.7K
$5.69 AED 20.92
-60.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 Rp 24.5K
$1.10 AED 4.02
24.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 Rp 11.8K
$0.44 AED 1.63
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 Rp 39.4K
$10.28 AED 37.74
-78.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 Rp 64.7K
$9.69 AED 35.60
-62.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 Rp 25.8K
$1.65 AED 6.05
-12.73%
White Bread (500g)
$2.17 Rp 38.7K
$2.09 AED 7.68
3.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.12 Rp 20.0K
$1.87 AED 6.85
-40.11%
Eggs
$1.97 Rp 35.2K
$2.37 AED 8.71
-16.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.41 Rp 293.2K
$12.79 AED 46.97
28.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.63 Rp 65.0K
$9.84 AED 36.15
-63.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.53 Rp 206.2K
$15.70 AED 57.7
-26.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 Rp 60.2K
$2.00 AED 7.35
68.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.0K
$1.68 AED 6.16
-13.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.15 Rp 38.4K
$1.55 AED 5.68
38.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.90 Rp 34.0K
$1.34 AED 4.94
41.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.80 Rp 32.2K
$0.93 AED 3.42
93.55%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.0K
$0.89 AED 3.26
151.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 Rp 16.8K
$1.75 AED 6.43
-46.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 Rp 8,577
$0.47 AED 1.72
2.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.14 Rp 38.2K
$6.65 AED 24.43
-67.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.94 Rp 392.2K
$13.50 AED 49.59
62.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 40.4K
$2.67 AED 9.80
-15.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 Rp 49.6K
$2.90 AED 10.66
-4.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 Rp 4,661
$2.23 AED 8.19
-88.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.08 Rp 144.4K
$114 AED 417
-92.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,853
$1.62 AED 5.96
-72.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.42 Rp 7,491
$0.85 AED 3.11
-50.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.66 Rp 101.1K
$8.20 AED 30.12
-30.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.90 Rp 16.0K
$0.87 AED 3.20
3.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.2K Rp 433.4M
$45.9K AED 168.6K
-47.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K Rp 563.1M
$22.1K AED 81.2K
42.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.1 Rp 1.4M
$123 AED 451
-34.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.63 Rp 118.5K
$44.63 AED 164
-85.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.33 Rp 327.6K
$79.4 AED 292
-76.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.56 Rp 814.4K
$56.4 AED 207
-19.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.24 Rp 272.4K
$41.03 AED 151
-62.86%
Cinema Ticket
$3.71 Rp 66.4K
$13.17 AED 48.37
-71.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$442 Rp 7.9M
$291 AED 1,070
51.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,246 Rp 93.8M
$4,569 AED 16.8K
14.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.18 Rp 789.6K
$82.8 AED 304
-46.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.13 Rp 610.1K
$52.4 AED 193
-34.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.2 Rp 1.4M
$116 AED 425
-33.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.0 Rp 1.3M
$117 AED 429
-35.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$994 Rp 17.8M
$775 AED 2,848
28.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$588 Rp 10.5M
$648 AED 2,379
-9.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,084 Rp 55.1M
$1,625 AED 5,967
89.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,496 Rp 26.7M
$1,277 AED 4,690
17.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,383 Rp 42.6M
$4,978 AED 18.3K
-52.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,015 Rp 36.0M
$1,927 AED 7,078
4.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Ras al-Khaimah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$223 Rp 4.0M
$1,587 AED 5,828
-85.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
4.92
180.08%

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$588
Ras al-Khaimah
$648 10.1% $59
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$274
Ras al-Khaimah
$285 4% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$105
Ras al-Khaimah
$247 135% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$104
Ras al-Khaimah
$166 59.6% $62
Eating Out
Bali
$89
Ras al-Khaimah
$277 210% $188
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$53
Ras al-Khaimah
$83 56.2% $30
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Ras al-Khaimah
$128 1002% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Bali versus $775 in Ras al-Khaimah. 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 611% higher in Ras al-Khaimah, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali versus $41.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $285 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah
🕒 Local time
19:31 7:31 PM
15:31 3:31 PM
4 h behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
241,000
💱 Currency
UAE Dirham AED د.إ
Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Ras al-Khaimah 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Ras al-Khaimah?
Ras al-Khaimah costs about 49% more than Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bali and in Ras al-Khaimah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,836 per month in Bali and $2,740 in Ras al-Khaimah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Ras al-Khaimah?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Bali and in Ras al-Khaimah?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali and $41.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Ras al-Khaimah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,224 in Bali and $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah. That's a gap of about 49%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bali or in Ras al-Khaimah?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Ras al-Khaimah at $1,827. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ras al-Khaimah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bali or Ras al-Khaimah?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,224 versus $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bali compared to Ras al-Khaimah?
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.
Should I move to Bali or to Ras al-Khaimah?
If budget matters most, go with Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ras al-Khaimah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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