Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Pekanbaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $901 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
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Pekanbaru Living Index

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Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$901

/mo nomad

Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Denpasar, Bali versus $628 in Pekanbaru.

Denpasar, Bali $901
Pekanbaru $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Denpasar, Bali versus $983 in Pekanbaru.

Denpasar, Bali $1,508
Pekanbaru $983

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,114 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,339 in Pekanbaru.

Denpasar, Bali $2,114
Pekanbaru $1,339

Living in Denpasar, Bali is roughly 44% more expensive than in Pekanbaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Denpasar, Bali 33% lower, Pekanbaru 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.18 Rp 39.2K

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

52.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.40 Rp 421.2K

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

185.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 Rp 67.7K

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

56.02%

Cappuccino

$1.84 Rp 33.1K

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

41.54%

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

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

86.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

$0.33 Rp 5,954

75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

-16.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

-17.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Rp 22.0K

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

-6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Rp 33.6K

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

62.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

5.62%

Eggs

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 Rp 250.7K

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

90.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 Rp 57.8K

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

35.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.96 Rp 179.2K

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

53.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.5K

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

-22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

-24.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 Rp 29.1K

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 34.9K

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

1.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

2.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,874

$0.35 Rp 6,350

25.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

-14.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.51 Rp 333.2K

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 Rp 42.8K

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

-20.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 Rp 3,947

$0.29 Rp 5,230

-24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.14 Rp 128.5K

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

-15.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 Rp 7,042

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

-57.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,509

$0.40 Rp 7,154

5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 Rp 56.4K

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

16.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

-2.63%

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

$22.1K Rp 397.2M

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

-5.18%

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

$28.1K Rp 506.3M

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

8.06%

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

$74.5 Rp 1.3M

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

20.01%

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

$5.86 Rp 105.5K

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

-2.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.81 Rp 302.6K

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

-29.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.47 Rp 710.5K

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

39.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.07 Rp 235.3K

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

57.28%

Cinema Ticket

$3.16 Rp 56.9K

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

4.29%

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

$373 Rp 6.7M

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

288.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,499 Rp 81.0M

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

-42.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.34 Rp 690.1K

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

19.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.00 Rp 540.1K

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

5.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 Rp 1.2M

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

25.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 Rp 1.2M

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

-16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 Rp 10.6M

$262 Rp 4.7M

125.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 Rp 6.3M

$145 Rp 2.6M

141.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 Rp 33.7M

$540 Rp 9.7M

246.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 Rp 16.2M

$356 Rp 6.4M

152.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,429 Rp 25.7M

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

33.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 Rp 21.5M

$807 Rp 14.5M

47.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 Rp 5.0M

$176 Rp 3.2M

58.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.46

45.67%

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

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denpasar, Bali

$349 38.8%

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1% 58.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Denpasar, Bali

$235 26.1%

Pekanbaru

$201 32% 14.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denpasar, Bali

$97 10.8%

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6% 5.5% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Denpasar, Bali

$92 10.2%

Pekanbaru

$88 14% 4.2% $3.8

Eating Out

Denpasar, Bali

$72 8%

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8% 23.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Denpasar, Bali

$46 5.1%

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5% 24.9% $11

Getting Around

Denpasar, Bali

$10 1.2%

Pekanbaru

$13 2% 19.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Denpasar, Bali and $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denpasar, Bali pays 58% 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 $8.00 in Pekanbaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $201 per month, with Pekanbaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h behind Denpasar, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

788,445

1,020,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Denpasar, Bali Pekanbaru 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Denpasar, Bali
Pekanbaru

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 Pekanbaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Denpasar, Bali and Pekanbaru differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($901 vs $628 including rent). Pekanbaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Denpasar, Bali, 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: $589 in Denpasar, Bali versus $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $901 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $628 in Pekanbaru – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pekanbaru runs roughly 18% less than in Denpasar, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $628 in Pekanbaru versus $901 in Denpasar, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pekanbaru but tight or insufficient in Denpasar, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Denpasar, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.