Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Trincomalee

For one person, living is cheaper in Trincomalee: $511 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali, Indonesia
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,187
/mo nomad
Trincomalee
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$511
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Trincomalee

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $511 in Trincomalee, rent included.

  • Bali $1,187
  • Trincomalee $511

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $830 in Trincomalee, rent included.

  • Bali $2,004
  • Trincomalee $830

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $1,149 in Trincomalee, rent included.

  • Bali $2,822
  • Trincomalee $1,149

Bali costs about 132% more than Trincomalee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bali and Trincomalee are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Trincomalee 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.80 Rp 50.6K
$3.75 LKR 1,247
-25.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.85 Rp 520.8K
$25.12 LKR 8,353
14.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 Rp 86.0K
$7.43 LKR 2,471
-35.94%
Cappuccino
$2.23 Rp 40.3K
$2.54 LKR 844
-12.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 Rp 23.4K
$0.69 LKR 228
88.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 Rp 10.2K
$0.25 LKR 82.2
124.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 Rp 40.3K
$2.23 LKR 740
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.55 Rp 64.1K
$3.08 LKR 1,023
15.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 Rp 25.4K
$1.57 LKR 522
-10.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.18 Rp 39.4K
$0.53 LKR 176
311.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 Rp 18.9K
$0.81 LKR 270
29.63%
Eggs
$1.92 Rp 34.7K
$1.69 LKR 560
13.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.84 Rp 267.9K
$15.08 LKR 5,013
-1.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 Rp 69.7K
$5.02 LKR 1,669
-23.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.69 Rp 192.9K
$7.42 LKR 2,468
44.07%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 Rp 60.2K
$6.66 LKR 2,214
-49.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.4K
$0.89 LKR 297
64.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 Rp 40.1K
$4.18 LKR 1,389
-46.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 Rp 32.6K
$1.33 LKR 443
35.34%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$1.08 LKR 359
59.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$0.82 LKR 274
171.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 Rp 16.5K
$1.21 LKR 402
-23.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,308
$0.42 LKR 141
9.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.06 Rp 37.1K
$10.28 LKR 3,417
-79.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.38 Rp 367.8K
$13.81 LKR 4,590
47.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 Rp 39.1K
$1.96 LKR 652
10.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 Rp 51.4K
$2.94 LKR 979
-3.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,531
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.68 Rp 156.7K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,956
$0.40 LKR 133
10.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,766
$0.33 LKR 111
30.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 Rp 97.2K
$0.93 LKR 310
478.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.85 Rp 15.3K
$1.37 LKR 457
-37.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 428.5M
$42.8K LKR 14.2M
-44.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K Rp 592.9M
$46.4K LKR 15.4M
-29.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.7 Rp 1.4M
$56.2 LKR 18.7K
36.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.33 Rp 114.2K
$4.23 LKR 1,406
49.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.93 Rp 341.6K
$21.11 LKR 7,019
-10.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.65 Rp 751.7K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.78 Rp 266.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.58 Rp 64.6K
$4.61 LKR 1,533
-22.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$437 Rp 7.9M
$39.68 LKR 13.2K
1000.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K Rp 199.2M
$17.5K LKR 5.8M
-37.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.09 Rp 777.7K
$18.34 LKR 6,099
134.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.51 Rp 604.8K
$17.18 LKR 5,712
95.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$79.7 LKR 26.5K
-5.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.9 Rp 1.3M
$41.96 LKR 14.0K
76.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$957 Rp 17.3M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$570 Rp 10.3M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,028 Rp 54.6M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 Rp 26.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,096 Rp 37.8M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,885 Rp 34.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Trincomalee
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$215 Rp 3.9M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
12.5
10.24%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Trincomalee: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$570
Trincomalee
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$263
Trincomalee
$244 7.4% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$102
Trincomalee
$82 20.1% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Trincomalee
$71 30.3% $31
Eating Out
Bali
$89
Trincomalee
$104 16.3% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$49
Trincomalee
$9.2 * 81.1% $40
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Trincomalee
$2.1 * 83.1% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali versus $25 in Trincomalee. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $244 – making Trincomalee the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇱🇰 Trincomalee
🕒 Local time
13:03 1:03 PM
10:33 10:33 AM
2 h 30 min behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
99,100
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,262 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Trincomalee 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Trincomalee

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 Trincomalee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Trincomalee?
Bali costs about 132% more than Trincomalee, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 Trincomalee?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,780 per month in Bali and $766 in Trincomalee. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Trincomalee?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $511 in Trincomalee. That makes Trincomalee about 57% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Bali and in Trincomalee?
Kindergarten costs $437 per month in Bali and $40 in Trincomalee. 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 Trincomalee?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trincomalee, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Bali at $1,187. In Trincomalee it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Bali or Trincomalee?
It depends on your priorities. Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $511 in Trincomalee to $1,187 in Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Bali compared to Trincomalee?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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