Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Seoul

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

A single person spends $1,224 per month in Bali vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Bali $1,224
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $2,064 per month in Bali vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Bali $2,064
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $2,904 per month in Bali vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Bali $2,904
Seoul $3,872

Bali is about 33% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-69.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-55.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

$7.42 ₩9,941

-36.12%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

$4.08 ₩5,470

-45.59%

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

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

$1.60 ₩2,141

-14.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

$0.80 ₩1,078

-17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

$3.65 ₩4,886

-39.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

$5.94 ₩7,956

-39.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

$2.05 ₩2,742

-29.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

$3.08 ₩4,130

-29.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

$4.21 ₩5,646

-73.40%

Eggs

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

$3.57 ₩4,784

-44.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-8.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-65.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-56.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

$7.42 ₩9,946

-54.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

$3.53 ₩4,732

-58.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

$5.87 ₩7,866

-63.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

$6.37 ₩8,534

-70.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

$3.75 ₩5,028

-52.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

$2.49 ₩3,337

-10.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$2.92 ₩3,911

-67.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,577

$1.15 ₩1,542

-58.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$3.29 ₩4,408

-34.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

$18.49 ₩24.8K

18.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

$2.28 ₩3,057

-0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

$3.28 ₩4,398

-15.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,661

$1.14 ₩1,526

-77.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-82.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,853

$3.48 ₩4,663

-87.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,491

$0.60 ₩803

-30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-34.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

$1.50 ₩2,004

-40.00%

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

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-16.73%

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

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

$28.2K ₩37.8M

11.74%

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

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

$209 ₩279.9K

-61.67%

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

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-81.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

$21.18 ₩28.4K

-13.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-4.09%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-67.26%

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

$442 Rp 7.9M

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-76.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-76.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

$58.9 ₩78.9K

-25.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

$32.12 ₩43.0K

6.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

$70.1 ₩94.0K

10.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-9.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 Rp 17.8M

$885 ₩1.2M

12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 Rp 10.5M

$624 ₩835.5K

-5.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

$2,494 ₩3.3M

23.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

$1,275 ₩1.7M

17.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-92.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-82.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$223 Rp 4.0M

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-93.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.08

237.75%

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$588 48%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 6% $35

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$274 22.4%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 74.7% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.6%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 153% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$104 8.5%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 5.7% $5.9

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 106% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 51% $27

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 385% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Bali versus $885 in Seoul. 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 1536% higher in Seoul, 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 $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $479 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

1 h ahead of Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Seoul 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Seoul

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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 49% more than Bali, 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 $1,836 per month in Bali and $2,733 in Seoul. 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 $30.00 in Bali and $67.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,224 in Bali and $1,822 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 49%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,224 versus $1,822 in Seoul. 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, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.