Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
Learn more

Varkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Varkala

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $383 in Varkala, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Varkala $383

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $608 in Varkala, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Varkala $608

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $833 in Varkala, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Varkala $833

Bali costs about 210% more than Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Varkala are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Varkala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.6K

$2.28 ₹216

22.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 520.8K

$10.35 ₹978

178.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.0K

$3.45 ₹326

37.97%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$1.57 ₹149

42.04%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$0.37 ₹35.19

251.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.18 ₹16.55

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$1.76 ₹166

26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$3.13 ₹295

13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$0.71 ₹67.4

98.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.4K

$0.45 ₹42.46

384.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.66 ₹62.2

59.09%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.7K

$0.89 ₹84.2

115.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 267.9K

$4.87 ₹460

204.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.7K

$2.99 ₹282

29.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 192.9K

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.2K

$2.05 ₹194

62.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$0.74 ₹70.1

97.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.1K

$0.98 ₹92.6

126.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

$0.54 ₹50.8

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.38 ₹35.97

352.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$0.43 ₹40.23

418.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

$0.45 ₹42.20

104.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,308

$0.32 ₹30.08

43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.1K

$3.89 ₹367

-47.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 367.8K

$7.48 ₹706

172.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

$1.69 ₹160

27.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

$2.76 ₹261

3.26%

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

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,531

$0.28 ₹26.35

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 156.7K

$8.77 ₹829

-1.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,956

$0.83 ₹78.4

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,766

$0.25 ₹23.36

72.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.2K

$1.43 ₹135

276.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.16 ₹110

-26.72%

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

$23.7K Rp 428.5M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

72.05%

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

$32.9K Rp 592.9M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

47.68%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$38.26 ₹3,614

100.58%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.2K

$3.52 ₹332

79.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 341.6K

$7.13 ₹673

165.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 751.7K

$15.61 ₹1,475

166.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 266.7K

$7.10 ₹671

108.17%

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.6K

$2.85 ₹269

25.61%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$51.9 ₹4,905

741.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 199.2M

$1,542 ₹145.7K

615.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 777.7K

$24.46 ₹2,311

76.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 604.8K

$24.88 ₹2,351

34.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$41.84 ₹3,953

79.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$30.94 ₹2,922

138.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.3M

$123 ₹11.6K

677.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$75.4 ₹7,127

655.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.6M

$274 ₹25.8K

1006.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.1M

$179 ₹16.9K

707.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.8M

$1,051 ₹99.3K

99.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.0M

$599 ₹56.6K

214.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.67

58.94%

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Varkala

$75 19.7% 86.8% $494

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Varkala

$105 27.5% 60% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 52.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 45.8% $47

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Varkala

$65 16.9% 27.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Varkala

$21 5.6% 56.3% $28

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 2.6% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali versus $123 in Varkala. 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 in Bali versus $10 in Varkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $105 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

2 h 30 min behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

💱 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 Varkala 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 210% more than Varkala, 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 $574 in Varkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $957 in Bali.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $383 in Varkala. That makes Varkala about 68% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $437 per month in Bali and $52 in Varkala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Varkala costs $383 versus $1,187 in Bali. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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