Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $2,529 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,529

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairns and in Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairns and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,529 per month in Cairns vs $1,224 in Bali, rent included.

Cairns $2,529
Bali $1,224

A couple spends around $3,731 per month in Cairns vs $2,064 in Bali, rent included.

Cairns $3,731
Bali $2,064

A family of three spends $4,933 per month in Cairns vs $2,904 in Bali, rent included.

Cairns $4,933
Bali $2,904

Cairns costs about 107% more than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairns sits 89% above the global median, while Bali is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 A$25.31

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

545.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.6 A$140

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

229.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 A$18.30

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

169.83%

Cappuccino

$4.32 A$6.18

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

94.59%

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

$3.14 A$4.50

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

129.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.92

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

315.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 A$9.79

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

209.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.34 A$11.94

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

130.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 A$2.78

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$3.77

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

21.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.68

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

129.46%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.71

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

173.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.12

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

-44.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.48 A$19.29

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

271.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 A$21.83

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

32.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$5.97

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

23.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.93

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

88.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.06

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

64.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 A$8.08

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

197.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.66

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

42.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.70

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

15.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 A$3.88

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

188.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 A$3.70

$0.48 Rp 8,577

439.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.78 A$62.7

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

1945.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

-36.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.08

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

57.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.46

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

88.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.10

$0.26 Rp 4,661

1269.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.43 A$22.08

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

90.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 A$3.79

$0.44 Rp 7,853

502.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 A$2.81

$0.42 Rp 7,491

366.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 A$60.4

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

645.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.83

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

42.22%

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

$31.3K A$44.8K

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

29.22%

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

$40.8K A$58.4K

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

29.59%

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

$164 A$234

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

104.45%

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

$34.95 A$50.0

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

427.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 A$93.0

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

254.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.38 A$63.5

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

-2.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.37 A$39.16

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

79.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 A$20.00

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

276.55%

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

$2,069 A$2,961

$442 Rp 7.9M

367.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K A$20.3K

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

170.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 A$127

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

101.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.7 A$103

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

110.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$174

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

57.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$185

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

72.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 A$2,098

$994 Rp 17.8M

47.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,751

$588 Rp 10.5M

107.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 A$3,221

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

-27.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,783

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

30.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,629 A$9,487

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

178.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,015 A$7,177

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

148.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,289 A$6,138

$223 Rp 4.0M

1822.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

13.78

-54.14%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Bali

$588 48% 51.9% $635

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.3%

Bali

$274 22.4% 32.9% $135

Eating Out

Cairns

$306 12.2%

Bali

$89 7.3% 70.9% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$264 10.5%

Bali

$105 8.6% 60.2% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$185 7.4%

Bali

$104 8.5% 44% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$72 2.9%

Bali

$53 4.3% 26.7% $19

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Bali

$12 1% 72.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,466 in Cairns versus $994 in Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1823% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Cairns versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $274 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

2 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairns Bali 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
Bali

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

Cairns vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 107% more than Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,793 per month in Cairns and $1,836 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bali, 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 $98.0 in Cairns and $30.00 in Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,529 in Cairns and $1,224 in Bali. That's a gap of about 107%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Cairns at $2,529. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,224 versus $2,529 in Cairns. 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 Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.