Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubai and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $1,224 in Bali, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Bali $1,224

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $2,064 in Bali, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Bali $2,064

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $2,904 in Bali, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Bali $2,904

Dubai costs about 133% more than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Bali is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

375.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

174.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

96.62%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

168.92%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

18.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

517.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

269.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

25.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

-27.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

122.32%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

66.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

-22.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

168.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

14.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

-22.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

32.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

-10.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

-28.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

-54.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

60.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.48 Rp 8,577

29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

173.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

-26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

6.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.26 Rp 4,661

530.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

811.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$0.44 Rp 7,853

620.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.42 Rp 7,491

69.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

40.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

10.00%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

12.89%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

-28.45%

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

$250 AED 920

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

212.80%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

718.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

400.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

116.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

179.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

332.08%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$442 Rp 7.9M

90.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

248.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

53.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

69.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

30.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$994 Rp 17.8M

139.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$588 Rp 10.5M

155.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

43.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

101.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

198.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

105.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$223 Rp 4.0M

1420.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

13.78

-67.05%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Bali

$588 48% 60.9% $917

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Bali

$105 8.6% 73.5% $291

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Bali

$89 7.3% 71.1% $220

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Bali

$274 22.4% 6.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Bali

$104 8.5% 29.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Bali

$53 4.3% 59.5% $78

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Bali

$12 1% 86.6% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $994 in Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1420% higher in Dubai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Dubai versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $274 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

12:58 12:58 PM

4 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Bali 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Bali

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

Dubai vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 133% more than Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai and $1,836 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Dubai and $30.00 in Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,854 in Dubai and $1,224 in Bali. That's a gap of about 133%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,224 versus $2,854 in Dubai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.