Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dambulla and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $1,214 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Bali, Indonesia
Dambulla
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$505
/mo nomad
Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,214
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dambulla 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 Dambulla and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $505 per month in Dambulla vs $1,214 in Bali, rent included.

  • Dambulla $505
  • Bali $1,214

A couple spends around $818 per month in Dambulla vs $2,047 in Bali, rent included.

  • Dambulla $818
  • Bali $2,047

A family of three spends $1,131 per month in Dambulla vs $2,880 in Bali, rent included.

  • Dambulla $1,131
  • Bali $2,880

Dambulla is about 58% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dambulla and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Dambulla 63% lower, Bali 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.85 LKR 1,281
$2.73 Rp 49.6K
41.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.00 LKR 8,311
$28.91 Rp 525.5K
-13.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.66 LKR 2,546
$4.56 Rp 82.9K
67.98%
Cappuccino
$2.47 LKR 821
$2.26 Rp 41.2K
9.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 LKR 224
$1.43 Rp 25.9K
-53.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 LKR 89.9
$0.68 Rp 12.4K
-60.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.27 LKR 753
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
1.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 LKR 975
$3.68 Rp 66.9K
-20.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 LKR 543
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
9.40%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 LKR 188
$2.18 Rp 39.7K
-74.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 LKR 254
$1.14 Rp 20.7K
-32.46%
Eggs
$1.63 LKR 542
$2.02 Rp 36.7K
-19.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.55 LKR 4,504
$16.81 Rp 305.5K
-19.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.92 LKR 1,635
$3.57 Rp 64.9K
37.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.30 LKR 2,428
$11.31 Rp 205.5K
-35.46%
Apples (1kg)
$6.47 LKR 2,152
$3.44 Rp 62.6K
88.08%
Banana (1kg)
$0.87 LKR 289
$1.51 Rp 27.5K
-42.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.33 LKR 1,441
$2.19 Rp 39.8K
97.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 LKR 440
$1.88 Rp 34.2K
-29.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 LKR 336
$1.71 Rp 31.1K
-40.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 LKR 262
$2.32 Rp 42.1K
-65.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 LKR 289
$0.99 Rp 18.1K
-12.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKR 142
$0.50 Rp 9,085
-14.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.35 LKR 3,440
$2.03 Rp 36.9K
409.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.67 LKR 4,214
$21.49 Rp 390.6K
-41.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 LKR 627
$2.14 Rp 38.8K
-11.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 LKR 974
$2.87 Rp 52.1K
2.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.07 LKR 23.76
$0.25 Rp 4,571
-72.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.82 Rp 160.3K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 LKR 126
$0.45 Rp 8,169
-15.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 LKR 125
$0.44 Rp 7,991
-13.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 LKR 289
$5.48 Rp 99.6K
-84.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 LKR 456
$0.89 Rp 16.1K
53.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.7K LKR 14.5M
$24.3K Rp 441.6M
80.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K LKR 13.6M
$31.9K Rp 580.5M
28.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.8 LKR 19.9K
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
-25.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.30 LKR 1,431
$6.55 Rp 119.0K
-34.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.98 LKR 6,976
$18.48 Rp 335.9K
13.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$40.66 Rp 739.0K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$14.93 Rp 271.3K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.57 LKR 1,520
$3.67 Rp 66.6K
24.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.27 LKR 12.4K
$437 Rp 7.9M
-91.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,199 LKR 398.5K
$5,063 Rp 92.0M
-76.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.35 LKR 6,102
$43.62 Rp 792.8K
-57.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.43 LKR 5,462
$32.69 Rp 594.2K
-49.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.1 LKR 26.0K
$73.6 Rp 1.3M
6.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.03 LKR 13.6K
$74.3 Rp 1.4M
-44.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$984 Rp 17.9M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$583 Rp 10.6M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,121 Rp 56.7M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,475 Rp 26.8M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,447 Rp 44.5M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,963 Rp 35.7M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dambulla
Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$215 Rp 3.9M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
13.78
-7.91%

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

Last update for Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dambulla
$234
Bali
$275 17.5% $41
Eating Out
Dambulla
$104
Bali
$90 14.2% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dambulla
$85
Bali
$105 23.3% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Dambulla
$69
Bali
$101 45.7% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Dambulla
$9.2 *
Bali
$48 425% $39
Getting Around
Dambulla
$2.5 *
Bali
$12 391% $9.9
Accommodation & Living
Dambulla
- *
Bali
$583

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 $25 in Dambulla versus $29 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $275 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Dambulla
🇮🇩 Bali
🕒 Local time
00:47 12:47 AM
03:17 3:17 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Dambulla
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
68,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dambulla Bali 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dambulla
  • 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
Dambulla vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Dambulla or Bali?
Bali costs about 141% more than Dambulla, 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 Dambulla and in Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $757 per month in Dambulla and $1,821 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Dambulla compared to Bali?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $505 in Dambulla and $1,214 in Bali. That’s a gap of about 141%.
How do childcare costs compare in Dambulla and in Bali?
Kindergarten costs $37 per month in Dambulla and $437 in Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Dambulla or in Bali?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Bali at $1,214. In Dambulla 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: Dambulla or Bali?
It depends on your priorities. Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $505 in Dambulla to $1,214 in Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Dambulla compared to Bali?
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.

Dambulla vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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