Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gwangju and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,236 a month against $1,329 in Gwangju, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Gwangju despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,329

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,329 per month in Gwangju vs $1,236 in Bali, rent included.

Gwangju $1,329
Bali $1,236

A couple spends around $2,038 per month in Gwangju vs $2,086 in Bali, rent included.

Gwangju $2,038
Bali $2,086

A family of three spends $2,747 per month in Gwangju vs $2,937 in Bali, rent included.

Gwangju $2,747
Bali $2,937

Gwangju costs about 8% more than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gwangju and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Gwangju 2% lower, Bali 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.98 ₩7,948

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

116.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.07 ₩45.3K

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

14.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 ₩8,131

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

32.18%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₩4,317

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

40.09%

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

$1.60 ₩2,127

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩837

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

-1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ₩3,297

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₩6,008

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

26.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₩2,269

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

14.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ₩3,153

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

7.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ₩3,009

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

93.16%

Eggs

$2.74 ₩3,639

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

35.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 ₩11.8K

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

-46.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 ₩10.6K

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

116.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

-3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₩6,854

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

49.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 ₩4,037

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

108.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,002

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

67.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 ₩4,037

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

67.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 ₩4,747

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

99.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 ₩2,515

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

-16.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ₩2,663

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

102.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,791

$0.51 Rp 9,186

164.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,584

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

60.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 ₩14.8K

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₩1,935

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

-36.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,024

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

-20.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,410

$0.26 Rp 4,713

307.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 ₩90.6K

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

755.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ₩4,223

$0.48 Rp 8,646

562.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₩821

$0.43 Rp 7,705

44.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 ₩10.4K

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

38.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₩1,616

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

48.78%

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

$28.0K ₩37.3M

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

18.29%

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

$35.3K ₩46.9M

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

11.20%

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

$210 ₩279.5K

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

158.53%

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

$43.76 ₩58.2K

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

570.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.2K

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

15.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ₩68.7K

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.71 ₩15.6K

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

-22.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 ₩15.0K

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

204.88%

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

$300 ₩399.0K

$445 Rp 8.0M

-32.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ₩23.8M

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

243.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.74 ₩42.2K

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

-25.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.01 ₩34.6K

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

-22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 ₩84.5K

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

-15.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ₩117.8K

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

20.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₩657.9K

$996 Rp 17.9M

-50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ₩482.7K

$596 Rp 10.7M

-39.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₩1.5M

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

-61.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 ₩992.8K

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

-50.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,812 ₩10.4M

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

221.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,383 ₩8.5M

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

225.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,883 ₩3.8M

$220 Rp 4.0M

1208.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

13.78

-73.88%

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

Last update for Gwangju: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gwangju

$363 27.3%

Bali

$596 48.2% 64.2% $233

Groceries & Markets

Gwangju

$308 23.2%

Bali

$277 22.4% 10.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gwangju

$275 20.7%

Bali

$106 8.6% 61.4% $169

Eating Out

Gwangju

$135 10.2%

Bali

$90 7.3% 33.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Gwangju

$94 7.1%

Bali

$101 8.2% 7.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Gwangju

$79 5.9%

Bali

$12 0.9% 85.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Gwangju

$74 5.6%

Bali

$54 4.4% 26.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $495 in Gwangju versus $996 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 1209% higher in Gwangju, 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 $34.00 in Gwangju versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $277 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h behind Gwangju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,467,996

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gwangju Bali 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Gwangju
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

Gwangju vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwangju costs about 8% more than Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,993 per month in Gwangju and $1,854 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 $34.00 in Gwangju 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 $1,329 in Gwangju and $1,236 in Bali. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,236, than in Gwangju at $1,329. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gwangju it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,236 versus $1,329 in Gwangju. 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, Gwangju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.