Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,229 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,229

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Surat Thani

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Bali vs $775 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Bali $1,229
Surat Thani $775

A couple spends around $2,053 per month in Bali vs $1,414 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Bali $2,053
Surat Thani $1,414

A family of three spends $2,877 per month in Bali vs $2,053 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Bali $2,877
Surat Thani $2,053

Bali costs about 59% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Surat Thani are more affordable than the global median – Bali 9% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

$1.89 ฿63.0

45.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.09 Rp 523.7K

$17.87 ฿597

62.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 Rp 83.9K

$4.51 ฿151

3.33%

Cappuccino

$2.31 Rp 41.5K

$1.50 ฿50.2

54.00%

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

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

$0.50 ฿16.68

184.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.4K

$0.29 ฿9.66

120.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$2.56 ฿85.4

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 Rp 64.9K

$3.69 ฿123

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

$1.66 ฿55.4

-13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 Rp 38.0K

$1.19 ฿39.89

77.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$1.17 ฿39.13

-1.71%

Eggs

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

$1.87 ฿62.4

4.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.38 Rp 294.8K

$19.18 ฿641

-14.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.7K

$3.33 ฿111

8.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 Rp 210.6K

$7.44 ฿249

57.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 Rp 62.7K

$2.91 ฿97.2

19.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.68 ฿56.3

-13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.76 ฿58.7

25.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

$2.05 ฿68.4

-7.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

$1.30 ฿43.57

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$1.37 ฿45.90

59.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 17.9K

$1.11 ฿37.24

-9.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,256

$0.41 ฿13.66

24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

$3.07 ฿103

-32.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.20 Rp 381.6K

$18.86 ฿630

12.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 Rp 39.2K

$1.54 ฿51.6

41.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 Rp 51.9K

$1.82 ฿60.7

58.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,137

$1.02 ฿34.00

-77.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.27 Rp 148.8K

$20.95 ฿700

-60.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,030

$1.18 ฿39.50

-61.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,471

$0.63 ฿21.05

-25.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 Rp 97.6K

$3.49 ฿117

55.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.16 ฿38.93

-28.45%

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

$24.0K Rp 431.7M

$26.6K ฿890.1K

-9.95%

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

$31.9K Rp 573.5M

$27.3K ฿911.7K

16.79%

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

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$72.9 ฿2,437

8.91%

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

$6.46 Rp 116.3K

$11.12 ฿372

-41.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 Rp 336.4K

$17.32 ฿579

7.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.96 Rp 827.2K

$48.24 ฿1,612

-4.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 Rp 267.7K

$11.52 ฿385

29.08%

Cinema Ticket

$3.67 Rp 66.1K

$4.53 ฿151

-18.98%

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

$443 Rp 8.0M

$549 ฿18.3K

-19.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,164 Rp 93.0M

$11.6K ฿386.5K

-55.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.58 Rp 784.5K

$61.9 ฿2,070

-29.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.98 Rp 593.7K

$29.16 ฿974

13.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$97.3 ฿3,252

-22.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$86.5 ฿2,892

-13.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 Rp 17.5M

$237 ฿7,910

311.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 Rp 10.7M

$149 ฿4,985

297.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 Rp 55.2M

$1,150 ฿38.4K

166.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 Rp 26.3M

$709 ฿23.7K

106.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 Rp 43.0M

$2,226 ฿74.4K

7.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 Rp 35.0M

$1,404 ฿46.9K

38.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 Rp 3.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Bali: October 20, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$593 48.3%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 74.9% $444

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$273 22.3%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 10.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$105 8.5%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 3.1% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$102 8.3%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 21.4% $22

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 22.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$53 4.3%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 7.5% $4

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 145% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Bali versus $237 in Surat Thani. 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 $29.00 in Bali versus $18.00 in Surat Thani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $244 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

00:52 12:52 AM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Surat Thani 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 59% more than Surat Thani, 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 $1,843 per month in Bali and $1,163 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, 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 $18.00 in Surat Thani. 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 $775 in Surat Thani. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Bali at $1,229. In Surat Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surat Thani costs $775 versus $1,229 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 Surat Thani. 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.