Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Richards Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Richards Bay: $1,022 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Richards Bay
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Richards Bay Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Richards Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Richards Bay

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $1,022 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Richards Bay $1,022

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $1,601 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Richards Bay $1,601

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $2,180 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Richards Bay $2,180

Bali costs about 16% more than Richards Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Richards Bay are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Richards Bay 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.8K

$8.66 R 144

-67.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 523.4K

$37.89 R 631

-23.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.4K

$5.57 R 92.8

-14.54%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.16 R 35.97

3.24%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

$1.06 R 17.62

22.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.89 R 14.86

-37.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.46 R 24.35

52.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

$1.84 R 30.69

92.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

$1.11 R 18.52

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

$0.97 R 16.09

124.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.48 R 24.66

-29.05%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.9K

$2.20 R 36.72

-12.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 269.2K

$6.43 R 107

130.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 70.1K

$4.35 R 72.5

-11.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 193.8K

$6.75 R 112

58.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.5K

$1.97 R 32.88

69.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.65 R 27.53

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$1.94 R 32.38

14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

$1.64 R 27.26

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

$0.93 R 15.52

84.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.16 R 19.39

92.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$1.15 R 19.11

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,350

$1.23 R 20.46

-62.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.3K

$2.46 R 40.96

-16.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 369.6K

$4.96 R 82.7

310.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.3K

$1.53 R 25.50

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.7K

$2.00 R 33.28

42.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,554

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 157.5K

$101 R 1,675

-91.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,996

$0.40 R 6.66

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,805

$0.70 R 11.72

-38.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.7K

$7.53 R 125

-28.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.37 R 22.90

-37.96%

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

$23.7K Rp 430.7M

$21.4K R 356.9K

10.85%

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

$32.9K Rp 595.9M

$28.7K R 478.0K

14.53%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$132 R 2,205

-42.01%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.8K

$30.04 R 501

-78.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 343.4K

$38.86 R 647

-51.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 755.5K

$35.59 R 593

17.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 268.0K

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.9K

$7.39 R 123

-51.56%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$106 R 1,774

310.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 200.2M

$2,665 R 44.4K

314.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 781.6K

$50.4 R 840

-14.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 607.8K

$18.89 R 315

77.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$75.0 R 1,250

-0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$81.3 R 1,355

-9.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.4M

$366 R 6,104

161.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$255 R 4,249

123.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.9M

$686 R 11.4K

341.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.2M

$548 R 9,134

163.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 38.0M

$341 R 5,675

515.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.2M

$502 R 8,372

275.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$1,199 R 20.0K

-82.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

7.5

83.73%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Richards Bay

$255 25% 55.2% $315

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Richards Bay

$179 17.5% 32.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Richards Bay

$201 19.7% 97.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Richards Bay

$102 9.9% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Richards Bay

$131 12.8% 46.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Richards Bay

$50 4.9% 3.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Richards Bay

$104 * 10.2% 750% $92

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $366 in Richards Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Richards Bay are about 5.6 times higher, 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 $38 in Richards Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Bali vs $179 in Richards Bay – so Richards Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇿🇦 Richards Bay

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

19:33 7:33 PM

6 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,387

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,309 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bali Richards Bay 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Richards Bay

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 Richards Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 16% more than Richards Bay, 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 $1,780 per month in Bali and $1,533 in Richards Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Richards Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $38 in Richards Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $1,022 in Richards Bay. That makes Richards Bay about 14% cheaper.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,187 in Bali and $1,022 in Richards Bay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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