Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Varanasi

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $293 in Varanasi, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Varanasi $293

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $483 in Varanasi, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Varanasi $483

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $672 in Varanasi, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Varanasi $672

Bali costs about 305% more than Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Varanasi are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Varanasi 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.6K

$1.89 ₹178

48.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 520.8K

$8.02 ₹758

259.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.0K

$3.21 ₹304

48.29%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$1.65 ₹156

35.15%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$0.41 ₹38.66

217.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.11 ₹10.08

409.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$1.62 ₹153

37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$2.12 ₹201

67.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$0.66 ₹62.5

113.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.4K

$0.29 ₹27.18

651.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.54 ₹50.6

94.44%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.7K

$0.83 ₹78.4

131.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 267.9K

$3.28 ₹309

352.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.7K

$2.13 ₹201

81.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 192.9K

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.2K

$1.43 ₹135

133.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$0.65 ₹61.2

124.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.1K

$0.89 ₹84.3

149.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

$0.35 ₹32.64

414.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.26 ₹24.63

561.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$0.24 ₹22.67

829.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

$0.46 ₹43.19

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,308

$0.28 ₹26.52

64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.1K

$3.20 ₹302

-35.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 367.8K

$5.83 ₹551

249.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

$1.61 ₹152

34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

$1.98 ₹187

43.94%

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

$4.24 ₹401

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,531

$0.55 ₹52.3

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 156.7K

$9.71 ₹918

-10.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,956

$0.24 ₹22.65

83.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,766

$0.12 ₹10.95

258.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.2K

$1.04 ₹98.6

417.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.05 ₹99.7

-19.05%

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

$23.7K Rp 428.5M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

110.69%

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

$32.9K Rp 592.9M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

47.92%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$12.68 ₹1,198

505.21%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.2K

$3.63 ₹343

74.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 341.6K

$6.84 ₹646

176.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 751.7K

$12.72 ₹1,201

227.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 266.7K

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.6K

$2.91 ₹274

23.02%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$38.77 ₹3,663

1026.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 199.2M

$1,088 ₹102.8K

914.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 777.7K

$23.62 ₹2,232

82.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 604.8K

$25.11 ₹2,372

33.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$38.81 ₹3,666

93.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$25.32 ₹2,391

191.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.3M

$114 ₹10.8K

740.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$46.99 ₹4,439

1112.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.6M

$200 ₹18.8K

1417.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.1M

$140 ₹13.2K

933.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.8M

$560 ₹52.9K

274.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.0M

$340 ₹32.1K

454.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$575 ₹54.3K

-62.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.53

61.55%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Varanasi

$47 16% 91.8% $523

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Varanasi

$82 28% 68.9% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Varanasi

$23 7.9% 77.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Varanasi

$51 17.3% 49.9% $51

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Varanasi

$59 20.1% 34% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Varanasi

$19 6.3% 62% $30

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Varanasi

$13 4.4% 3.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $114 in Varanasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Varanasi are about 2.7 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 $8 in Varanasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $82 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Varanasi 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 305% more than Varanasi, 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 $440 in Varanasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $8 in Varanasi. 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 $293 in Varanasi. That makes Varanasi about 75% cheaper.

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