Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Sibolga

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibolga: $624 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali, Indonesia
Sibolga, Indonesia
Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,187
/mo nomad
Sibolga
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$624
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Sibolga

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $624 in Sibolga, rent included.

  • Bali $1,187
  • Sibolga $624

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $996 in Sibolga, rent included.

  • Bali $2,004
  • Sibolga $996

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $1,368 in Sibolga, rent included.

  • Bali $2,822
  • Sibolga $1,368

Bali costs about 90% more than Sibolga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Sibolga are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Sibolga 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.80 Rp 50.9K
$1.68 Rp 30.4K
66.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.85 Rp 523.6K
$14.03 Rp 254.5K
105.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 Rp 86.5K
$3.31 Rp 60.1K
43.81%
Cappuccino
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.45 Rp 26.4K
53.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 Rp 23.5K
$0.43 Rp 7,744
202.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 Rp 10.2K
$0.22 Rp 3,975
154.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 Rp 40.6K
$2.15 Rp 39.0K
3.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
$3.37 Rp 61.2K
5.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 Rp 25.5K
$1.17 Rp 21.1K
20.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.18 Rp 39.6K
$1.08 Rp 19.6K
101.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 Rp 19.0K
$0.80 Rp 14.6K
31.25%
Eggs
$1.92 Rp 34.9K
$1.47 Rp 26.6K
30.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.84 Rp 269.3K
$6.98 Rp 126.7K
112.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 Rp 70.1K
$2.95 Rp 53.5K
30.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.69 Rp 193.9K
$7.67 Rp 139.3K
39.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 Rp 60.6K
$2.14 Rp 38.8K
56.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$1.24 Rp 22.6K
17.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
44.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 Rp 32.8K
$1.26 Rp 22.8K
42.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 Rp 31.2K
$1.26 Rp 22.8K
36.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$1.92 Rp 34.8K
16.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 Rp 16.6K
$0.79 Rp 14.4K
16.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,354
$0.39 Rp 7,076
17.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.06 Rp 37.3K
$2.57 Rp 46.6K
-19.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.38 Rp 369.8K
$20.63 Rp 374.4K
-1.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 Rp 39.3K
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
16.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 Rp 51.7K
$3.01 Rp 54.7K
-5.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,556
$0.23 Rp 4,148
8.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.68 Rp 157.6K
$11.34 Rp 205.9K
-23.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 8,000
$0.53 Rp 9,676
-16.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,809
$0.34 Rp 6,230
26.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 Rp 97.7K
$2.90 Rp 52.7K
85.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.85 Rp 15.4K
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
4.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 430.9M
$22.6K Rp 410.2M
5.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K Rp 596.2M
$32.5K Rp 590.6M
0.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.7 Rp 1.4M
$64.1 Rp 1.2M
19.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.33 Rp 114.8K
$4.29 Rp 77.9K
47.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.93 Rp 343.5K
$18.67 Rp 338.7K
1.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.65 Rp 755.9K
$18.29 Rp 332.0K
127.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.78 Rp 268.1K
$8.13 Rp 147.5K
81.80%
Cinema Ticket
$3.58 Rp 64.9K
$2.73 Rp 49.5K
31.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$437 Rp 7.9M
$94.7 Rp 1.7M
361.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K Rp 200.3M
$8,087 Rp 146.8M
36.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.09 Rp 782.0K
$43.28 Rp 785.5K
-0.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.51 Rp 608.1K
$28.82 Rp 522.9K
16.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$76.0 Rp 1.4M
-1.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.9 Rp 1.3M
$70.9 Rp 1.3M
4.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$957 Rp 17.4M
$224 Rp 4.1M
326.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$570 Rp 10.3M
$146 Rp 2.7M
289.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,028 Rp 54.9M
$558 Rp 10.1M
442.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 Rp 26.2M
$365 Rp 6.6M
295.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,096 Rp 38.0M
$1,142 Rp 20.7M
83.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,885 Rp 34.2M
$803 Rp 14.6M
134.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Sibolga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$215 Rp 3.9M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
9.46
45.67%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sibolga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$570
Sibolga
$146 74.3% $423
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$263
Sibolga
$193 26.7% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$102
Sibolga
$87 14.7% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Sibolga
$99 2.9% $2.9
Eating Out
Bali
$89
Sibolga
$61 31.8% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$49
Sibolga
$24 51.3% $25
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Sibolga
$15 18.2% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $224 in Sibolga. 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 $29 in Bali versus $14 in Sibolga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $193 – making Sibolga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇮🇩 Sibolga
🕒 Local time
12:43 12:43 PM
11:43 11:43 AM
1 h behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
95,471
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,148 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,295 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Sibolga 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Sibolga

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 Sibolga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Sibolga?
Bali costs about 90% more than Sibolga, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bali and in Sibolga?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,780 per month in Bali and $936 in Sibolga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Sibolga?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibolga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $224 there versus $957 in Bali.
How do dining costs compare in Bali and in Sibolga?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $14 in Sibolga. 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 Sibolga?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $624 in Sibolga. That makes Sibolga about 47% cheaper.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Sibolga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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