Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Sikkim

For one person, living is cheaper in Sikkim: $361 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Sikkim
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Sikkim Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Sikkim

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Sikkim

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $361 in Sikkim, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Sikkim $361

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $582 in Sikkim, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Sikkim $582

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $802 in Sikkim, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Sikkim $802

Bali costs about 228% more than Sikkim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Sikkim are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Sikkim 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.5K

$2.05 ₹192

36.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 519.4K

$10.64 ₹999

171.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 85.8K

$3.71 ₹349

28.30%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$1.58 ₹148

41.14%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$0.41 ₹38.05

217.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.13 ₹12.19

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$1.84 ₹173

21.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$2.94 ₹276

20.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.3K

$0.71 ₹67.0

98.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.3K

$0.48 ₹44.78

354.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.8K

$0.40 ₹37.73

162.50%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$1.47 ₹138

30.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 267.2K

$4.44 ₹417

234.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.5K

$2.84 ₹267

35.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 192.4K

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

$1.94 ₹183

72.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.3K

$0.67 ₹62.6

117.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$0.90 ₹84.6

146.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

$0.45 ₹42.32

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

$0.45 ₹41.95

282.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

$0.53 ₹49.50

320.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

$0.44 ₹41.16

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,288

$0.33 ₹31.01

39.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.0K

$2.42 ₹227

-14.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 366.9K

$4.16 ₹391

389.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.0K

$1.25 ₹117

72.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.3K

$2.59 ₹243

10.04%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$2.72 ₹256

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,519

$0.21 ₹19.68

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 156.3K

$7.10 ₹667

22.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,936

$0.82 ₹76.9

-46.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,747

$0.27 ₹25.57

59.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 96.9K

$1.54 ₹145

249.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.12 ₹105

-24.11%

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

$23.7K Rp 427.4M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

107.68%

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

$32.9K Rp 591.4M

$19.8K ₹1.9M

66.30%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$34.33 ₹3,224

123.54%

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

$6.33 Rp 113.9K

$3.28 ₹308

92.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 340.8K

$6.53 ₹613

189.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 749.9K

$14.39 ₹1,351

189.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 266.0K

$6.62 ₹621

123.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.4K

$2.88 ₹271

24.31%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$45.67 ₹4,288

856.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 198.7M

$1,415 ₹132.8K

680.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 775.7K

$22.01 ₹2,066

95.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 603.2K

$23.30 ₹2,188

43.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$39.04 ₹3,666

92.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$28.82 ₹2,706

156.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.2M

$120 ₹11.2K

699.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$78.0 ₹7,320

630.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.5M

$271 ₹25.4K

1017.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.0M

$186 ₹17.5K

676.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.7M

$919 ₹86.3K

128.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 33.9M

$528 ₹49.5K

257.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$470 ₹44.2K

-54.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.86

55.53%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sikkim: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Sikkim

$78 21.6% 86.3% $492

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Sikkim

$94 26.1% 64.1% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Sikkim

$44 12.2% 56.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Sikkim

$51 14.1% 49.8% $51

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Sikkim

$64 17.6% 28.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Sikkim

$20 5.6% 58.7% $29

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Sikkim

$10 2.8% 17.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $120 in Sikkim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sikkim are about 2.2 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 $11 in Sikkim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $94 – making Sikkim the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇳 Sikkim

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

610,577

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18,003 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 93.89 INR (100 INR = 1.07 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Sikkim 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Sikkim

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 Sikkim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 228% more than Sikkim, 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 $542 in Sikkim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sikkim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $120 there versus $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $11 in Sikkim. 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 $361 in Sikkim. That makes Sikkim about 70% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sikkim, where all-in costs run around $361, than in Bali at $1,187. In Sikkim it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Sikkim is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 70% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.