Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Surin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $1,229 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,229
/mo nomad
Surin
🇹🇭 Thailand
$869
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Surin

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Bali vs $869 in Surin, rent included.

  • Bali $1,229
  • Surin $869

A couple spends around $2,053 per month in Bali vs $1,444 in Surin, rent included.

  • Bali $2,053
  • Surin $1,444

A family of three spends $2,877 per month in Bali vs $2,018 in Surin, rent included.

  • Bali $2,877
  • Surin $2,018

Bali costs about 41% more than Surin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Surin are more affordable than the global median – Bali 9% lower, Surin 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Surin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 Rp 49.5K
$3.03 ฿101
-9.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.09 Rp 523.7K
$24.70 ฿826
17.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.66 Rp 83.9K
$7.23 ฿242
-35.55%
Cappuccino
$2.31 Rp 41.5K
$1.74 ฿58.3
32.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 Rp 25.6K
$0.61 ฿20.30
132.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.4K
$0.33 ฿10.89
93.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$2.20 ฿73.5
1.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.61 Rp 64.9K
$3.42 ฿114
5.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Surin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 Rp 25.8K
$1.57 ฿52.4
-8.92%
White Bread (500g)
$2.11 Rp 38.0K
$1.31 ฿43.79
61.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 Rp 20.6K
$1.47 ฿48.98
-21.77%
Eggs
$1.96 Rp 35.3K
$1.90 ฿63.5
3.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.38 Rp 294.8K
$17.41 ฿582
-5.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.7K
$2.48 ฿83.0
45.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.70 Rp 210.6K
$8.89 ฿297
31.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.48 Rp 62.7K
$2.57 ฿86.0
35.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.4K
$1.02 ฿34.23
43.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
$2.48 ฿82.9
-10.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.90 Rp 34.3K
$2.05 ฿68.5
-7.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 Rp 30.9K
$1.44 ฿48.20
19.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 Rp 39.4K
$0.95 ฿31.77
130.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 17.9K
$0.94 ฿31.37
6.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,256
$0.44 ฿14.59
15.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.08 Rp 37.4K
$4.27 ฿143
-51.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.20 Rp 381.6K
$16.36 ฿547
29.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 Rp 39.2K
$1.57 ฿52.4
38.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 Rp 51.9K
$3.01 ฿100
-4.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Surin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,137
$0.92 ฿30.79
-75.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.27 Rp 148.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.45 Rp 8,030
$1.37 ฿45.65
-67.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,471
$1.01 ฿33.73
-53.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.42 Rp 97.6K
$6.04 ฿202
-10.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.35 ฿45.06
-38.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0K Rp 431.7M
$22.7K ฿758.4K
5.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K Rp 573.5M
$27.1K ฿904.4K
17.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Surin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$77.8 ฿2,601
2.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.46 Rp 116.3K
$11.53 ฿385
-43.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.69 Rp 336.4K
$18.68 ฿624
0.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Surin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.96 Rp 827.2K
$41.58 ฿1,390
10.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.87 Rp 267.7K
$11.45 ฿383
29.87%
Cinema Ticket
$3.67 Rp 66.1K
$6.51 ฿218
-43.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Surin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$443 Rp 8.0M
$628 ฿21.0K
-29.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,164 Rp 93.0M
$12.1K ฿405.0K
-57.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Surin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.58 Rp 784.5K
$53.1 ฿1,773
-17.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.98 Rp 593.7K
$27.95 ฿934
18.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.3M
$73.3 ฿2,451
2.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.0 Rp 1.3M
$68.0 ฿2,274
10.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Surin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$975 Rp 17.5M
$440 ฿14.7K
121.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 Rp 10.7M
$273 ฿9,126
117.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,065 Rp 55.2M
$1,185 ฿39.6K
158.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,463 Rp 26.3M
$714 ฿23.9K
104.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,391 Rp 43.0M
$1,730 ฿57.8K
38.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,945 Rp 35.0M
$1,518 ฿50.7K
28.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Surin
Difference
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 Surin: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$593
Surin
$273 54% $320
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$273
Surin
$235 14.2% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$105
Surin
$108 3.3% $3.5
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$102
Surin
$100 1.8% $1.9
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Surin
$88 2% $1.8
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$53
Surin
$55 2.4% $1.3
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Surin
$10 * 15.7% $1.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Bali versus $440 in Surin. 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 $25.00 in Surin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $235 – making Surin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇹🇭 Surin
🕒 Local time
08:44 8:44 AM
07:44 7:44 AM
1 h behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
40,104
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Surin 2,900 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Surin

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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Surin?
Bali costs about 41% more than Surin, 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 Surin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Bali and $1,303 in Surin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Surin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Surin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Surin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,229 in Bali and $869 in Surin. That's a gap of about 41%.
How do childcare costs compare in Bali and in Surin?
Kindergarten costs $443 per month in Bali and $628 in Surin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bali or in Surin?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Surin, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Bali at $1,229. In Surin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bali or Surin?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surin costs $869 versus $1,229 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bali compared to Surin?
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.
Should I move to Bali or to Surin?
If budget matters most, go with Surin. 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.

Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?