Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,214 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Forbes 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 Forbes and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,543 per month in Forbes vs $1,214 in Bali, rent included.

Forbes $2,543
Bali $1,214

A couple spends around $3,751 per month in Forbes vs $2,047 in Bali, rent included.

Forbes $3,751
Bali $2,047

A family of three spends $4,958 per month in Forbes vs $2,880 in Bali, rent included.

Forbes $4,958
Bali $2,880

Forbes costs about 109% more than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Forbes sits 87% above the global median, while Bali is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.61

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

482.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$135

$28.91 Rp 525.5K

228.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.07

$4.56 Rp 82.9K

148.03%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$5.00

$2.26 Rp 41.2K

55.75%

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

$2.99 A$4.24

$1.43 Rp 25.9K

109.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.37

$0.68 Rp 12.4K

248.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.92

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

213.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.52

$3.68 Rp 66.9K

101.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.41

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

13.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.44

$2.18 Rp 39.7K

11.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.04

$1.14 Rp 20.7K

87.72%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.10

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

147.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.44

$16.81 Rp 305.5K

-39.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.53

$3.57 Rp 64.9K

166.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.49

$11.31 Rp 205.5K

21.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.37

$3.44 Rp 62.6K

9.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.27

$1.51 Rp 27.5K

99.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.05

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

62.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

161.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.71 Rp 31.1K

46.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.63

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.24

$0.99 Rp 18.1K

130.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$0.50 Rp 9,085

190.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$66.0

$2.03 Rp 36.9K

2187.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.57

$21.49 Rp 390.6K

-42.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.75

$2.14 Rp 38.8K

121.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.24

$2.87 Rp 52.1K

102.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.78

$0.25 Rp 4,571

964.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$8.82 Rp 160.3K

789.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.26

$0.45 Rp 8,169

722.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.45

$0.44 Rp 7,991

290.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.9

$5.48 Rp 99.6K

733.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

40.45%

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

$33.8K A$48.1K

$24.3K Rp 441.6M

39.20%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$31.9K Rp 580.5M

-11.88%

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

$195 A$277

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

144.08%

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

$23.66 A$33.62

$6.55 Rp 119.0K

261.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.8

$18.48 Rp 335.9K

188.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$84.0

$40.66 Rp 739.0K

45.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$28.02

$14.93 Rp 271.3K

32.08%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.13

$3.67 Rp 66.6K

228.34%

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

$2,301 A$3,269

$437 Rp 7.9M

426.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.3K

$5,063 Rp 92.0M

321.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$115

$43.62 Rp 792.8K

84.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.6

$32.69 Rp 594.2K

73.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$166

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

58.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$74.3 Rp 1.4M

66.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,213

$984 Rp 17.9M

58.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,816

$583 Rp 10.6M

119.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,499

$3,121 Rp 56.7M

-21.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,901

$1,475 Rp 26.8M

38.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,428

$2,447 Rp 44.5M

113.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,312

$1,963 Rp 35.7M

162.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

13.78

-57.18%

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

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Bali

$583 48% 54.4% $695

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Bali

$275 22.7% 24.4% $89

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Bali

$90 7.4% 67.4% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Bali

$105 8.6% 61.4% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Bali

$101 8.3% 40.6% $69

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Bali

$12 1% 87.7% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Bali

$48 4% 42.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,558 in Forbes versus $984 in Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Forbes versus $29 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $275 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

3 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Forbes Bali 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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

Forbes vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Forbes costs about 109% 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 $3,814 per month in Forbes and $1,821 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $984 there versus $1,558 in Forbes.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Forbes and $29 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 $2,543 in Forbes and $1,214 in Bali. That’s a gap of about 109%.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,543 in Forbes and $1,214 in Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

For expats, Bali is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 109% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.