Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Denpasar, Bali: $896 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
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Denpasar, Bali Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$896

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $896 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Denpasar, Bali $896
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,522 in Denpasar, Bali versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Denpasar, Bali $1,522
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,148 in Denpasar, Bali versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Denpasar, Bali $2,148
Nosara $3,712

Living in Denpasar, Bali costs roughly 51% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Denpasar, Bali is 33% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 Rp 39.4K

$12.22 ₡5,509

-82.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.17 Rp 414.6K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-61.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.91 Rp 70.0K

$7.54 ₡3,399

-48.14%

Cappuccino

$1.75 Rp 31.4K

$4.31 ₡1,941

-59.40%

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

$1.08 Rp 19.3K

$1.72 ₡773

-37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,211

$1.35 ₡608

-62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

$3.24 ₡1,459

-43.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.3K

$4.48 ₡2,018

-33.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 Rp 22.8K

$1.57 ₡707

-18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Rp 33.4K

$3.17 ₡1,429

-41.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 Rp 18.1K

$2.42 ₡1,091

-58.26%

Eggs

$1.74 Rp 31.1K

$3.57 ₡1,609

-51.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.76 Rp 246.1K

$7.43 ₡3,349

85.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 Rp 57.2K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-69.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.61 Rp 171.9K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-29.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 Rp 52.9K

$2.32 ₡1,044

27.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.5K

$1.61 ₡728

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

$4.74 ₡2,138

-61.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 Rp 27.9K

$1.66 ₡747

-6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.0K

$3.57 ₡1,611

-45.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 13.9K

$1.10 ₡497

-29.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,743

$2.55 ₡1,149

-83.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 Rp 33.1K

$4.95 ₡2,232

-62.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.22 Rp 326.0K

$20.01 ₡9,020

-8.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 Rp 34.7K

$2.79 ₡1,256

-30.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$3.53 ₡1,589

-32.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,304

$1.19 ₡537

-79.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.17 Rp 128.3K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-90.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 Rp 7,112

$2.24 ₡1,011

-82.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,428

$1.55 ₡701

-72.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 Rp 55.9K

$8.86 ₡3,993

-64.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.4K

$1.57 ₡708

-52.23%

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

$21.5K Rp 384.3M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-1.48%

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

$28.0K Rp 501.7M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-19.04%

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

$72.7 Rp 1.3M

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-22.20%

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

$5.91 Rp 105.7K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-83.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.47 Rp 294.6K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-68.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 Rp 713.2K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-44.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.71 Rp 227.4K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-64.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.01 Rp 53.8K

$7.84 ₡3,535

-61.61%

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

$381 Rp 6.8M

$490 ₡220.7K

-22.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,359 Rp 78.0M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-63.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.61 Rp 708.5K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-26.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.69 Rp 531.2K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-46.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.1 Rp 1.2M

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-13.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 Rp 10.6M

$786 ₡354.3K

-24.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 Rp 6.3M

$780 ₡351.6K

-54.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 Rp 32.6M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-52.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 Rp 16.4M

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-34.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,461 Rp 26.1M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-79.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,189 Rp 21.3M

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-0.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$284 Rp 5.1M

$876 ₡395.0K

-67.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.62

59.86%

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

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denpasar, Bali

$353 39.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 121% $427

Groceries & Markets

Denpasar, Bali

$234 25.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 49.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denpasar, Bali

$95 10.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 89.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Denpasar, Bali

$92 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 30.3% $28

Eating Out

Denpasar, Bali

$72 8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 192% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Denpasar, Bali

$46 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 89.8% $41

Getting Around

Denpasar, Bali

$11 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 719% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $594 in Denpasar, Bali and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 208% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Denpasar, Bali vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $350 per month, with Denpasar, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

19:18 7:18 PM

14 h behind Denpasar, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

788,445

4,912

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Denpasar, Bali Nosara 17,720 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Denpasar, Bali
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Denpasar, Bali and Nosara differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($896 vs $1,837 including rent). Denpasar, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 208% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $594 in Denpasar, Bali versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $896 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 905% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $896 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Denpasar, Bali but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Denpasar, Bali 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 Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Denpasar, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.