Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Sa Pa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa Pa: $731 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
Learn more

Sa Pa Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Sa Pa

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $731 in Sa Pa, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Sa Pa $731

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $1,170 in Sa Pa, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Sa Pa $1,170

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $1,608 in Sa Pa, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Sa Pa $1,608

Bali costs about 69% more than Sa Pa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Sa Pa are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Sa Pa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$1.89 ₫48.9K

46.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$21.25 ₫550.1K

40.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$4.50 ₫116.4K

2.89%

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$1.70 ₫44.1K

36.47%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$0.47 ₫12.1K

197.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.30 ₫7,831

113.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$0.97 ₫25.1K

125.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

$1.58 ₫41.0K

126.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$1.38 ₫35.7K

7.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$0.99 ₫25.8K

123.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$0.99 ₫25.5K

18.18%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$1.40 ₫36.2K

44.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$11.73 ₫303.8K

40.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$3.68 ₫95.4K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$10.07 ₫260.7K

15.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$2.74 ₫71.0K

25.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$1.03 ₫26.6K

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$1.36 ₫35.1K

64.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$1.07 ₫27.8K

70.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$1.02 ₫26.5K

75.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$1.05 ₫27.1K

116.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$0.65 ₫16.8K

52.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.48 ₫12.4K

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$1.38 ₫35.7K

55.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

$11.61 ₫300.6K

84.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$0.75 ₫19.4K

205.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$1.61 ₫41.7K

77.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$0.32 ₫8,276

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

$6.51 ₫168.6K

22.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$0.72 ₫18.7K

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$0.62 ₫16.0K

-30.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$2.83 ₫73.2K

99.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$0.83 ₫21.6K

-1.20%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$35.5K ₫920.2M

-33.33%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$32.1K ₫829.7M

-0.97%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$76.5 ₫2.0M

6.26%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$5.96 ₫154.3K

9.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$8.62 ₫223.1K

112.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$22.19 ₫574.5K

111.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$7.59 ₫196.5K

98.29%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$3.09 ₫79.9K

19.42%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$266 ₫6.9M

67.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$11.7K ₫303.6M

-55.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$40.21 ₫1.0M

6.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$23.33 ₫603.9K

43.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$85.4 ₫2.2M

-12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$75.8 ₫2.0M

-2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$365 ₫9.4M

173.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$248 ₫6.4M

140.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$729 ₫18.9M

318.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$535 ₫13.8M

182.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$2,076 ₫53.7M

17.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$1,264 ₫32.7M

55.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.1

51.43%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sa Pa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Sa Pa

$248 33.9% 58.4% $348

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Sa Pa

$191 26.2% 30.8% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Sa Pa

$91 12.5% 14.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Sa Pa

$101 13.8% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Sa Pa

$60 8.2% 33.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Sa Pa

$28 3.9% 47.7% $26

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Sa Pa

$12 1.6% 0.3% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $365 in Sa Pa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali versus $21.00 in Sa Pa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $191 – making Sa Pa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Sa Pa 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Sa Pa

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 Sa Pa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 69% more than Sa Pa, 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 $1,854 per month in Bali and $1,097 in Sa Pa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sa Pa, 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 $30.00 in Bali and $21.00 in Sa Pa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $731 in Sa Pa. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sa Pa, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Bali at $1,236. In Sa Pa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sa Pa costs $731 versus $1,236 in Bali. 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 Sa Pa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.