Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Ruwais

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,229 a month against $1,872 in Ruwais, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Ruwais
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Ruwais Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,229

/mo nomad

Ruwais

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Ruwais

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Bali vs $1,872 in Ruwais, rent included.

Bali $1,229
Ruwais $1,872

A couple spends around $2,053 per month in Bali vs $3,274 in Ruwais, rent included.

Bali $2,053
Ruwais $3,274

A family of three spends $2,877 per month in Bali vs $4,677 in Ruwais, rent included.

Bali $2,877
Ruwais $4,677

Bali is about 34% cheaper than Ruwais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bali sits 9% below the global median, while Ruwais is 38% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

$9.25 AED 33.97

-70.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.09 Rp 523.7K

$54.7 AED 201

-46.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 Rp 83.9K

$8.52 AED 31.29

-45.31%

Cappuccino

$2.31 Rp 41.5K

$4.81 AED 17.65

-51.98%

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

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

$0.69 AED 2.55

105.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.4K

$0.35 AED 1.29

82.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$8.28 AED 30.41

-73.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 Rp 64.9K

$6.83 AED 25.09

-47.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

$1.81 AED 6.66

-20.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 Rp 38.0K

$1.65 AED 6.06

27.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$2.31 AED 8.48

-50.22%

Eggs

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

$2.89 AED 10.60

-32.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 Rp 294.8K

$9.34 AED 34.29

75.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.7K

$11.08 AED 40.70

-67.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 Rp 210.6K

$9.10 AED 33.43

28.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 Rp 62.7K

$2.85 AED 10.46

22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$2.06 AED 7.56

-29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.94 AED 7.13

13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

$1.87 AED 6.89

1.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

$1.15 AED 4.22

49.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$1.25 AED 4.59

75.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 17.9K

$0.79 AED 2.89

26.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,256

$0.56 AED 2.05

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

$6.16 AED 22.64

-66.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.20 Rp 381.6K

$12.26 AED 45.03

72.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 Rp 39.2K

$2.79 AED 10.26

-21.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 Rp 51.9K

$2.69 AED 9.87

7.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,137

$2.48 AED 9.10

-90.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.27 Rp 148.8K

$30.17 AED 111

-72.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,030

$2.28 AED 8.36

-80.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,471

$1.14 AED 4.20

-58.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 Rp 97.6K

$7.26 AED 26.67

-25.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$0.91 AED 3.35

-8.79%

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

$24.0K Rp 431.7M

$44.5K AED 163.3K

-46.05%

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

$31.9K Rp 573.5M

$21.8K AED 80.2K

45.85%

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

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$111 AED 409

-28.68%

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

$6.46 Rp 116.3K

$48.47 AED 178

-86.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 Rp 336.4K

$93.3 AED 343

-79.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.96 Rp 827.2K

$65.0 AED 239

-29.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 Rp 267.7K

$28.43 AED 104

-47.70%

Cinema Ticket

$3.67 Rp 66.1K

$13.59 AED 49.92

-72.99%

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

$443 Rp 8.0M

$570 AED 2,095

-22.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,164 Rp 93.0M

$7,483 AED 27.5K

-30.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.58 Rp 784.5K

$44.29 AED 163

-1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.98 Rp 593.7K

$54.8 AED 201

-39.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$69.7 AED 256

7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$103 AED 379

-27.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 Rp 17.5M

$776 AED 2,849

25.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 Rp 10.7M

$870 AED 3,195

-31.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 Rp 55.2M

$1,571 AED 5,771

95.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 Rp 26.3M

$2,477 AED 9,099

-40.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 Rp 43.0M

$5,586 AED 20.5K

-57.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 Rp 35.0M

$2,672 AED 9,815

-27.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 Rp 3.9M

$2,714 AED 9,969

-92.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

175.60%

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

Last update for Bali: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ruwais: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$593 48.3%

Ruwais

$870 46.5% 46.6% $277

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$273 22.3%

Ruwais

$270 14.4% 1.4% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.5%

Ruwais

$253 13.5% 142% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$102 8.3%

Ruwais

$122 6.5% 20% $20

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Ruwais

$216 11.6% 140% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Ruwais

$92 4.9% 72.9% $39

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Ruwais

$48 2.6% 301% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Bali versus $776 in Ruwais. 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 1155% higher in Ruwais, 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 $29.00 in Bali versus $55.0 in Ruwais. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Bali vs $270 in Ruwais – so Ruwais wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇦🇪 Ruwais

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

4 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Ruwais 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Ruwais

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 Ruwais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ruwais costs about 52% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Bali and $2,808 in Ruwais. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Bali and $55.0 in Ruwais. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,229 in Bali and $1,872 in Ruwais. That's a gap of about 52%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Ruwais at $1,872. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ruwais it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,229 versus $1,872 in Ruwais. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ruwais makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.