Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Karawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Karawang: $457 a month against $889 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Karawang, Indonesia
Denpasar, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$889
/mo nomad
Karawang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$457
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Denpasar, Bali versus $457 in Karawang.

  • Denpasar, Bali $889
  • Karawang $457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,463 in Denpasar, Bali versus $824 in Karawang.

  • Denpasar, Bali $1,463
  • Karawang $824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,036 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,191 in Karawang.

  • Denpasar, Bali $2,036
  • Karawang $1,191

Living in Denpasar, Bali is roughly 95% more expensive than in Karawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Denpasar, Bali 34% lower, Karawang 66% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.27 Rp 41.1K
$1.42 Rp 25.8K
59.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.70 Rp 412.0K
$11.17 Rp 202.6K
103.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.65 Rp 66.2K
$3.39 Rp 61.6K
7.67%
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
$0.42 Rp 7,629
159.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,300
$0.21 Rp 3,851
119.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 Rp 32.6K
$3.02 Rp 54.8K
-40.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 Rp 53.1K
$3.05 Rp 55.4K
-3.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 Rp 22.8K
$1.08 Rp 19.5K
16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 Rp 33.9K
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
83.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 Rp 16.9K
$0.84 Rp 15.3K
10.71%
Eggs
$1.60 Rp 29.1K
$1.45 Rp 26.3K
10.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.77 Rp 231.7K
$2.73 Rp 49.6K
367.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.13 Rp 56.7K
$2.76 Rp 50.1K
13.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.21 Rp 167.1K
$7.70 Rp 139.7K
19.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 Rp 51.8K
$1.82 Rp 33.0K
56.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 Rp 23.4K
$1.08 Rp 19.5K
19.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 Rp 34.0K
$1.22 Rp 22.1K
53.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.9K
$0.51 Rp 9,295
211.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$0.89 Rp 16.2K
67.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.92 Rp 34.9K
$1.48 Rp 26.9K
29.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.80 Rp 14.5K
$0.67 Rp 12.2K
19.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 Rp 7,163
$0.43 Rp 7,788
-9.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.75 Rp 31.8K
$2.63 Rp 47.7K
-33.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.54 Rp 318.4K
$22.00 Rp 399.3K
-20.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 Rp 34.6K
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
3.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 Rp 44.5K
$3.20 Rp 58.1K
-23.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.21 Rp 3,808
$0.25 Rp 4,560
-16.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.13 Rp 147.6K
$11.38 Rp 206.5K
-28.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 Rp 7,232
$0.86 Rp 15.7K
-53.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.39 Rp 7,113
$0.54 Rp 9,809
-27.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 Rp 54.3K
$1.08 Rp 19.7K
176.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.73 Rp 13.3K
$0.83 Rp 15.1K
-12.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K Rp 403.2M
$21.1K Rp 383.8M
5.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.3K Rp 530.9M
$32.0K Rp 581.1M
-8.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.4 Rp 1.2M
$32.76 Rp 594.6K
108.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.80 Rp 105.2K
$4.21 Rp 76.4K
37.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.60 Rp 319.3K
$12.47 Rp 226.4K
41.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.39 Rp 642.2K
$20.15 Rp 365.7K
75.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.86 Rp 233.5K
$8.33 Rp 151.1K
54.38%
Cinema Ticket
$3.07 Rp 55.7K
$2.80 Rp 50.8K
9.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$369 Rp 6.7M
$43.31 Rp 785.9K
752.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,317 Rp 169.1M
$8,151 Rp 147.9M
14.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.53 Rp 717.3K
$16.79 Rp 304.6K
135.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.50 Rp 553.5K
$27.09 Rp 491.7K
12.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.8 Rp 1.2M
$48.47 Rp 879.6K
41.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.7 Rp 1.2M
$48.73 Rp 884.4K
39.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$566 Rp 10.3M
$136 Rp 2.5M
315.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$354 Rp 6.4M
$67.8 Rp 1.2M
421.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,830 Rp 33.2M
$544 Rp 9.9M
236.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$855 Rp 15.5M
$364 Rp 6.6M
135.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,250 Rp 22.7M
$1,156 Rp 21.0M
8.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,158 Rp 21.0M
$782 Rp 14.2M
48.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Denpasar, Bali
Karawang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$278 Rp 5.0M
$404 Rp 7.3M
-31.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
11.38
21.09%

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

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Karawang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Denpasar, Bali
$354
Karawang
$68 80.8% $286
Groceries & Markets
Denpasar, Bali
$226
Karawang
$171 24.2% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Denpasar, Bali
$93
Karawang
$63 31.7% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denpasar, Bali
$92
Karawang
$49 46.2% $42
Eating Out
Denpasar, Bali
$72
Karawang
$63 12.1% $8.7
Sport & Entertainment
Denpasar, Bali
$42
Karawang
$26 38% $16
Getting Around
Denpasar, Bali
$11
Karawang
$16 40.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $566 in Denpasar, Bali and $136 in Karawang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karawang pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Denpasar, Bali vs $11 in Karawang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $171 per month, with Karawang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali
🇮🇩 Karawang
🕒 Local time
21:29 9:29 PM
20:29 8:29 PM
1 h behind Denpasar, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
788,445
273,472
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,148 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,345 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Denpasar, Bali Karawang 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Denpasar, Bali
  • Karawang

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 Karawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Denpasar, Bali and in Karawang?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $889 in Denpasar, Bali and $457 in Karawang, so Karawang is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Denpasar, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Denpasar, Bali and in Karawang?
Rent for a central apartment: $566 in Denpasar, Bali versus $136 in Karawang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Denpasar, Bali or Karawang?
All in, you’ll spend $889 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $457 in Karawang – Karawang is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Denpasar, Bali and in Karawang?
A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 29% less than in Karawang. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $800 per month?
At $457 in Karawang versus $889 in Denpasar, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Karawang but tight or insufficient in Denpasar, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Karawang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Denpasar, Bali and Karawang?
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.
Is Denpasar, Bali or Karawang safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Denpasar, Bali and Karawang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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