Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $588 a month against $889 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
Learn more

Denpasar, Bali Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
Learn more

Ambon Living Index

Jump to prices

Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$889

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Denpasar, Bali and in Ambon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Denpasar, Bali versus $588 in Ambon.

Denpasar, Bali $889
Ambon $588

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,463 in Denpasar, Bali versus $995 in Ambon.

Denpasar, Bali $1,463
Ambon $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,036 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,401 in Ambon.

Denpasar, Bali $2,036
Ambon $1,401

Living in Denpasar, Bali is roughly 51% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Denpasar, Bali 34% lower, Ambon 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 Rp 41.1K

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

104.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.70 Rp 411.8K

$14.28 Rp 259.0K

58.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 Rp 66.1K

$3.83 Rp 69.5K

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

21.48%

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

$1.09 Rp 19.9K

$0.46 Rp 8,372

136.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,296

$0.28 Rp 4,998

64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-19.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 Rp 53.1K

$3.46 Rp 62.8K

-15.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

22.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Rp 33.9K

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

90.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.9K

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

17.72%

Eggs

$1.60 Rp 29.0K

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

16.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 Rp 231.6K

$7.18 Rp 130.2K

77.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 Rp 56.7K

$2.85 Rp 51.7K

9.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.21 Rp 167.0K

$7.47 Rp 135.5K

23.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 Rp 51.8K

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

30.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

-1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 Rp 34.0K

$1.60 Rp 28.9K

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

28.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

16.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 Rp 34.9K

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,160

$0.40 Rp 7,202

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.75 Rp 31.8K

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

-20.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.54 Rp 318.2K

$20.54 Rp 372.6K

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.6K

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 Rp 44.5K

$2.92 Rp 53.0K

-16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,806

$0.25 Rp 4,555

-16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.13 Rp 147.5K

$11.45 Rp 207.6K

-29.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 Rp 7,228

$0.50 Rp 9,152

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 Rp 7,110

$0.29 Rp 5,350

34.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

$2.71 Rp 49.1K

10.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 Rp 13.3K

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

-8.75%

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

$22.2K Rp 403.0M

$23.7K Rp 429.9M

-6.25%

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

$29.3K Rp 530.6M

$35.6K Rp 645.1M

-17.75%

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

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

$55.9 Rp 1.0M

22.39%

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

$5.80 Rp 105.2K

$5.62 Rp 102.0K

3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.60 Rp 319.2K

$19.16 Rp 347.5K

-8.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.39 Rp 641.9K

$18.90 Rp 342.8K

87.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.86 Rp 233.4K

$7.07 Rp 128.2K

81.90%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 Rp 55.6K

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

117.73%

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

$369 Rp 6.7M

$94.9 Rp 1.7M

288.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,317 Rp 169.0M

$8,975 Rp 162.8M

3.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.53 Rp 717.0K

$43.58 Rp 790.5K

-9.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 Rp 553.3K

$27.84 Rp 505.0K

9.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 Rp 1.2M

$75.7 Rp 1.4M

-9.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 Rp 1.2M

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

-4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 Rp 10.3M

$211 Rp 3.8M

168.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 Rp 6.4M

$124 Rp 2.3M

184.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 Rp 33.2M

$612 Rp 11.1M

199.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 Rp 15.5M

$420 Rp 7.6M

103.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,250 Rp 22.7M

$1,295 Rp 23.5M

-3.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 21.0M

$756 Rp 13.7M

53.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$278 Rp 5.0M

$121 Rp 2.2M

128.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.45

45.82%

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

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ambon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denpasar, Bali

$354 39.8%

Ambon

$124 21.2% 64.8% $229

Groceries & Markets

Denpasar, Bali

$226 25.4%

Ambon

$190 32.3% 16.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Denpasar, Bali

$93 10.5%

Ambon

$98 16.7% 5.4% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denpasar, Bali

$92 10.3%

Ambon

$81 13.7% 12.1% $11

Eating Out

Denpasar, Bali

$72 8.1%

Ambon

$59 10.1% 17.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Denpasar, Bali

$42 4.7%

Ambon

$22 3.7% 47.7% $20

Getting Around

Denpasar, Bali

$11 1.3%

Ambon

$14 2.5% 27.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $566 in Denpasar, Bali and $211 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denpasar, Bali pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Denpasar, Bali vs $14 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $190 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

1 h ahead of Denpasar, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

788,445

275,888

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Denpasar, Bali Ambon 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Denpasar, Bali
Ambon

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

Denpasar, Bali vs Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Denpasar, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Denpasar, Bali is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $566 in Denpasar, Bali versus $211 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $889 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $588 in Ambon – Ambon is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 29% less than in Ambon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $588 in Ambon versus $889 in Denpasar, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambon but tight or insufficient in Denpasar, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Ambon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Denpasar, Bali and Ambon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ambon wins on affordability, Denpasar, Bali on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.