Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $614 a month against $905 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Palembang, Indonesia
Denpasar, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$905
/mo nomad
Palembang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Denpasar, Bali versus $614 in Palembang.

  • Denpasar, Bali $905
  • Palembang $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,497 in Denpasar, Bali versus $962 in Palembang.

  • Denpasar, Bali $1,497
  • Palembang $962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,089 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,310 in Palembang.

  • Denpasar, Bali $2,089
  • Palembang $1,310

Living in Denpasar, Bali is roughly 47% more expensive than in Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Denpasar, Bali 34% lower, Palembang 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.96 Rp 35.6K
$1.11 Rp 20.2K
76.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.43 Rp 498.1K
$15.66 Rp 284.4K
75.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.11 Rp 56.5K
$2.78 Rp 50.4K
11.87%
Cappuccino
$1.55 Rp 28.1K
$1.32 Rp 23.9K
17.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 Rp 6,827
$0.80 Rp 14.6K
-52.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 Rp 3,318
$0.24 Rp 4,365
-25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.61 Rp 29.3K
22.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 Rp 46.6K
$3.26 Rp 59.1K
-21.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 Rp 19.8K
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
-1.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 Rp 26.0K
$1.11 Rp 20.2K
28.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.95 Rp 17.3K
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
15.85%
Eggs
$1.45 Rp 26.3K
$1.27 Rp 23.0K
14.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.44 Rp 117.0K
$7.21 Rp 130.9K
-10.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.56 Rp 64.6K
$2.86 Rp 52.0K
24.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.00 Rp 145.2K
$7.43 Rp 134.9K
7.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 Rp 28.7K
$2.13 Rp 38.7K
-25.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 Rp 23.4K
$1.22 Rp 22.1K
5.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.35 Rp 24.4K
$1.59 Rp 28.9K
-15.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 Rp 27.2K
$1.28 Rp 23.2K
17.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 Rp 22.7K
$1.23 Rp 22.4K
1.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 Rp 34.4K
$1.66 Rp 30.2K
13.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.91 Rp 16.5K
$0.77 Rp 14.0K
18.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.36 Rp 6,577
$0.40 Rp 7,191
-10.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.93 Rp 35.1K
$2.19 Rp 39.7K
-11.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.96 Rp 199.0K
$20.54 Rp 373.0K
-46.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 Rp 33.8K
$1.79 Rp 32.6K
3.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 Rp 37.9K
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
-29.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,543
$0.40 Rp 7,264
-37.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.70 Rp 230.6K
$11.18 Rp 203.0K
13.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.85 Rp 15.4K
$0.53 Rp 9,680
60.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 Rp 5,295
$0.33 Rp 6,014
-12.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 Rp 55.8K
$2.66 Rp 48.3K
15.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
$0.85 Rp 15.4K
-3.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K Rp 397.6M
$23.0K Rp 417.9M
-4.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6K Rp 591.3M
$31.4K Rp 569.6M
3.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.5 Rp 916.9K
$70.7 Rp 1.3M
-28.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.08 Rp 74.1K
$4.22 Rp 76.7K
-3.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.36 Rp 297.2K
$18.90 Rp 343.2K
-13.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.63 Rp 302.0K
$18.31 Rp 332.6K
-9.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.41 Rp 243.5K
$7.75 Rp 140.7K
73.03%
Cinema Ticket
$3.29 Rp 59.8K
$2.67 Rp 48.6K
23.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$150 Rp 2.7M
$100 Rp 1.8M
50.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K Rp 212.3M
$6,925 Rp 125.8M
68.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.82 Rp 577.8K
$42.58 Rp 773.2K
-25.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.48 Rp 335.6K
$27.81 Rp 505.0K
-33.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.3 Rp 1.1M
$73.5 Rp 1.3M
-19.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$43.90 Rp 797.2K
$69.3 Rp 1.3M
-36.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$355 Rp 6.4M
$225 Rp 4.1M
57.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 Rp 2.8M
$143 Rp 2.6M
8.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$520 Rp 9.4M
$499 Rp 9.1M
4.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 Rp 7.0M
$323 Rp 5.9M
19.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,333 Rp 42.4M
$1,157 Rp 21.0M
101.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$752 Rp 13.7M
$754 Rp 13.7M
-0.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Denpasar, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$280 Rp 5.1M
$299 Rp 5.4M
-6.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.4
9.46
9.94%

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

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 26, 2026

Last update for Palembang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Denpasar, Bali
$360
Palembang
$143 60.3% $217
Groceries & Markets
Denpasar, Bali
$233
Palembang
$190 18.3% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denpasar, Bali
$96
Palembang
$94 1.9% $1.8
Clothing & Footwear
Denpasar, Bali
$91
Palembang
$96 4.9% $4.5
Eating Out
Denpasar, Bali
$72
Palembang
$52 27.9% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Denpasar, Bali
$41
Palembang
$24 42.4% $17
Getting Around
Denpasar, Bali
$11
Palembang
$15 30.7% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Denpasar, Bali and $225 in Palembang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palembang pays 7% 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 $16 in Palembang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $190 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali
🇮🇩 Palembang
🕒 Local time
18:57 6:57 PM
17:57 5:57 PM
1 h behind Denpasar, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
788,445
1,708,413
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Denpasar, Bali Palembang 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Denpasar, Bali
  • Palembang

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 Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Denpasar, Bali and in Palembang?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $905 in Denpasar, Bali and $614 in Palembang, so Palembang is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 7% 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 Palembang?
Rent for a central apartment: $591 in Denpasar, Bali versus $225 in Palembang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Denpasar, Bali or Palembang?
All in, you’ll spend $905 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $614 in Palembang – Palembang is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Denpasar, Bali and in Palembang?
A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 29% less than in Palembang. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How far does $1,000 go in Denpasar, Bali compared to Palembang?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Palembang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Denpasar, Bali and Palembang?
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.

Denpasar, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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