Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denpasar, Bali and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $905 in Denpasar, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
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Denpasar, Bali Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index

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Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$905

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Denpasar, Bali versus $593 in Semarang.

Denpasar, Bali $905
Semarang $593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,497 in Denpasar, Bali versus $938 in Semarang.

Denpasar, Bali $1,497
Semarang $938

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,089 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,282 in Semarang.

Denpasar, Bali $2,089
Semarang $1,282

Living in Denpasar, Bali is roughly 53% more expensive than in Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Denpasar, Bali 34% lower, Semarang 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.23 Rp 40.6K

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

66.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.40 Rp 425.3K

$10.53 Rp 191.3K

122.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.84 Rp 69.8K

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

26.32%

Cappuccino

$1.76 Rp 31.9K

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

37.50%

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

$1.16 Rp 21.1K

$0.43 Rp 7,808

169.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 Rp 9,778

$0.16 Rp 2,847

237.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

9.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 Rp 51.6K

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

-12.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Rp 22.2K

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

16.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 Rp 32.3K

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

93.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 Rp 17.8K

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

24.05%

Eggs

$1.72 Rp 31.3K

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

45.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.45 Rp 262.7K

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

274.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 Rp 58.5K

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

38.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.52 Rp 173.0K

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

26.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 53.1K

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

48.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

-2.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

8.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

16.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

-1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

-8.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,102

$0.40 Rp 7,359

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.81 Rp 32.9K

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

-3.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 Rp 326.7K

$25.05 Rp 455.2K

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.8K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 Rp 44.4K

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

25.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,167

$0.21 Rp 3,816

9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 144.9K

$13.93 Rp 253.1K

-42.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.42 Rp 7,636

$0.50 Rp 9,128

-16.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,760

$0.29 Rp 5,331

48.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 Rp 55.9K

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

14.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

-2.60%

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

$21.6K Rp 392.4M

$24.5K Rp 446.0M

-12.02%

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

$29.5K Rp 536.6M

$32.2K Rp 585.5M

-8.36%

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

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

-14.55%

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

$5.88 Rp 106.8K

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

120.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.22 Rp 294.8K

$18.96 Rp 344.7K

-14.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.04 Rp 636.8K

$20.30 Rp 368.9K

72.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.85 Rp 233.6K

$4.49 Rp 81.5K

186.19%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 Rp 55.0K

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

34.67%

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

$378 Rp 6.9M

$49.33 Rp 896.6K

665.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 Rp 81.1M

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

114.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.59 Rp 719.6K

$34.61 Rp 629.1K

14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.73 Rp 540.3K

$29.31 Rp 532.7K

1.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 Rp 1.2M

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

18.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.8 Rp 1.2M

$38.07 Rp 691.9K

75.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 Rp 10.7M

$226 Rp 4.1M

161.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 Rp 6.5M

$136 Rp 2.5M

164.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 Rp 33.8M

$477 Rp 8.7M

289.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$889 Rp 16.2M

$380 Rp 6.9M

134.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,448 Rp 26.3M

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

18.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 Rp 21.4M

$833 Rp 15.1M

41.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 Rp 5.1M

$186 Rp 3.4M

50.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.82

56.24%

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

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 26, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denpasar, Bali

$360 39.8%

Semarang

$136 23% 62.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Denpasar, Bali

$233 25.8%

Semarang

$184 31% 21.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denpasar, Bali

$96 10.6%

Semarang

$108 18.2% 12.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Denpasar, Bali

$91 10.1%

Semarang

$71 12% 22% $20

Eating Out

Denpasar, Bali

$72 8%

Semarang

$52 8.8% 27.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Denpasar, Bali

$41 4.5%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 39.6% $16

Getting Around

Denpasar, Bali

$11 1.3%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 46.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Denpasar, Bali and $226 in Semarang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denpasar, Bali pays 51% 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 in Denpasar, Bali vs $11 in Semarang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $184 per month, with Semarang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h behind Denpasar, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

788,445

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Denpasar, Bali Semarang 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Denpasar, Bali
Semarang

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 Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $905 in Denpasar, Bali and $593 in Semarang, so Semarang is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% 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: $591 in Denpasar, Bali versus $226 in Semarang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $905 per month in Denpasar, Bali versus $593 in Semarang – Semarang is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 43% less than in Semarang. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Semarang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Semarang wins on affordability, Denpasar, Bali on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.