Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $652 a month against $905 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Samarinda, Indonesia
Denpasar, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$905
/mo nomad
Samarinda
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$652
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Denpasar, Bali versus $652 in Samarinda.

  • Denpasar, Bali $905
  • Samarinda $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,497 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,055 in Samarinda.

  • Denpasar, Bali $1,497
  • Samarinda $1,055

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,089 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,457 in Samarinda.

  • Denpasar, Bali $2,089
  • Samarinda $1,457

Living in Denpasar, Bali is roughly 39% more expensive than in Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Denpasar, Bali 34% lower, Samarinda 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.63 Rp 29.6K
36.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.40 Rp 424.4K
$13.90 Rp 252.0K
68.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.84 Rp 69.6K
$3.33 Rp 60.4K
15.32%
Cappuccino
$1.76 Rp 31.8K
$1.45 Rp 26.3K
21.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 Rp 21.0K
$0.45 Rp 8,244
157.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 Rp 9,758
$0.24 Rp 4,368
125.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.80 Rp 32.6K
$2.17 Rp 39.4K
-17.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 Rp 51.5K
$3.50 Rp 63.5K
-18.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 Rp 22.1K
$1.06 Rp 19.2K
15.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 Rp 32.2K
$0.86 Rp 15.6K
106.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.98 Rp 17.8K
$0.64 Rp 11.7K
53.12%
Eggs
$1.72 Rp 31.3K
$1.37 Rp 24.8K
25.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.45 Rp 262.2K
$7.12 Rp 129.1K
102.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.22 Rp 58.4K
$3.54 Rp 64.2K
-9.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.52 Rp 172.6K
$10.03 Rp 181.9K
-5.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 Rp 53.0K
$4.99 Rp 90.5K
-41.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 Rp 22.7K
$1.09 Rp 19.8K
14.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 34.0K
$1.07 Rp 19.5K
75.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.8K
$1.41 Rp 25.6K
12.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.29 Rp 23.4K
15.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 Rp 34.0K
$1.81 Rp 32.8K
3.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.85 Rp 15.3K
$0.81 Rp 14.7K
4.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 Rp 7,087
$0.51 Rp 9,225
-23.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.81 Rp 32.8K
$2.07 Rp 37.5K
-12.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.97 Rp 326.0K
$21.12 Rp 383.0K
-14.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 Rp 34.7K
$1.96 Rp 35.5K
-2.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 Rp 44.3K
$2.92 Rp 53.0K
-16.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,159
$0.21 Rp 3,781
9.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.97 Rp 144.6K
$11.71 Rp 212.4K
-31.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.42 Rp 7,620
$0.50 Rp 9,006
-16.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,744
$0.33 Rp 6,003
30.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 Rp 55.8K
$2.80 Rp 50.9K
9.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.75 Rp 13.6K
$0.81 Rp 14.7K
-7.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K Rp 391.6M
$22.3K Rp 404.4M
-3.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K Rp 535.5M
$31.5K Rp 571.7M
-6.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.6 Rp 1.3M
$63.1 Rp 1.1M
16.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.88 Rp 106.6K
$3.84 Rp 69.7K
53.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.22 Rp 294.2K
$18.56 Rp 336.6K
-12.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.04 Rp 635.5K
$18.49 Rp 335.4K
89.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.85 Rp 233.1K
$7.04 Rp 127.7K
82.53%
Cinema Ticket
$3.03 Rp 54.9K
$2.73 Rp 49.6K
10.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$378 Rp 6.8M
$98.6 Rp 1.8M
283.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,463 Rp 80.9M
$8,897 Rp 161.4M
-49.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.59 Rp 718.2K
$40.26 Rp 730.3K
-1.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.73 Rp 539.2K
$27.22 Rp 493.8K
9.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.0 Rp 1.2M
$70.8 Rp 1.3M
-5.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.8 Rp 1.2M
$64.6 Rp 1.2M
3.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$591 Rp 10.7M
$210 Rp 3.8M
182.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$360 Rp 6.5M
$161 Rp 2.9M
123.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,857 Rp 33.7M
$527 Rp 9.6M
252.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$889 Rp 16.1M
$420 Rp 7.6M
111.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,448 Rp 26.3M
$1,231 Rp 22.3M
17.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,176 Rp 21.3M
$819 Rp 14.9M
43.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Denpasar, Bali
Samarinda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$279 Rp 5.1M
$327 Rp 5.9M
-14.58%
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 26, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Denpasar, Bali
$360
Samarinda
$161 55.2% $199
Groceries & Markets
Denpasar, Bali
$233
Samarinda
$214 8.2% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denpasar, Bali
$96
Samarinda
$85 10.7% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Denpasar, Bali
$91
Samarinda
$91 0.1% $0.1
Eating Out
Denpasar, Bali
$72
Samarinda
$61 15.1% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Denpasar, Bali
$41
Samarinda
$24 41.7% $17
Getting Around
Denpasar, Bali
$11
Samarinda
$15 28.3% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Denpasar, Bali and $210 in Samarinda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samarinda pays 17% 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 $14 in Samarinda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $214 per month, with Samarinda cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali
🇮🇩 Samarinda
🕒 Local time
12:53 12:53 PM
12:53 12:53 PM
Same time as Denpasar, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
788,445
726,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Denpasar, Bali Samarinda 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Denpasar, Bali
  • Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Denpasar, Bali and in Samarinda?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $905 in Denpasar, Bali and $652 in Samarinda, so Samarinda is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 15% 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 Samarinda?
Rent for a central apartment: $591 in Denpasar, Bali versus $210 in Samarinda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Denpasar, Bali or Samarinda?
All in, you’ll spend $905 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $652 in Samarinda – Samarinda is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Denpasar, Bali and in Samarinda?
A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 32% less than in Samarinda. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How far does $1,200 go in Denpasar, Bali compared to Samarinda?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Samarinda 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 Samarinda?
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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