Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $1,214 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $513 per month in Kandy vs $1,214 in Bali, rent included.

Kandy $513
Bali $1,214

A couple spends around $728 per month in Kandy vs $2,047 in Bali, rent included.

Kandy $728
Bali $2,047

A family of three spends $943 per month in Kandy vs $2,880 in Bali, rent included.

Kandy $943
Bali $2,880

Kandy is about 58% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kandy and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Kandy 62% lower, Bali 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 LKR 885

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

-2.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.01 LKR 4,324

$28.91 Rp 525.5K

-55.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 LKR 1,996

$4.56 Rp 82.9K

31.58%

Cappuccino

$1.90 LKR 632

$2.26 Rp 41.2K

-15.93%

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

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.43 Rp 25.9K

-63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 LKR 87.1

$0.68 Rp 12.4K

-61.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 LKR 620

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 LKR 931

$3.68 Rp 66.9K

-23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 382

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-22.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$2.18 Rp 39.7K

-76.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.14 Rp 20.7K

-32.46%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

-15.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 LKR 1,708

$16.81 Rp 305.5K

-69.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,412

$3.57 Rp 64.9K

19.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 LKR 2,285

$11.31 Rp 205.5K

-39.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LKR 1,043

$3.44 Rp 62.6K

-8.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 280

$1.51 Rp 27.5K

-44.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 LKR 574

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

-21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 429

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

-31.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 339

$1.71 Rp 31.1K

-40.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

-64.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.99 Rp 18.1K

-56.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.50 Rp 9,085

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.02 LKR 2,668

$2.03 Rp 36.9K

295.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 LKR 3,751

$21.49 Rp 390.6K

-47.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$2.14 Rp 38.8K

-9.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.87 Rp 52.1K

-27.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.3

$0.25 Rp 4,571

-36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,457

$8.82 Rp 160.3K

-50.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$0.45 Rp 8,169

-8.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.44 Rp 7,991

-20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

$5.48 Rp 99.6K

-91.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 383

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

29.21%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

$24.3K Rp 441.6M

-42.48%

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

$31.9K Rp 580.5M

15.04%

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

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

-26.10%

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

$3.86 LKR 1,282

$6.55 Rp 119.0K

-41.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.72 LKR 4,227

$18.48 Rp 335.9K

-31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LKR 3,606

$40.66 Rp 739.0K

-73.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,262

$14.93 Rp 271.3K

-54.45%

Cinema Ticket

$2.74 LKR 909

$3.67 Rp 66.6K

-25.34%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,199

$437 Rp 7.9M

-95.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 101.0K

$5,063 Rp 92.0M

-94.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,078

$43.62 Rp 792.8K

-58.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

$32.69 Rp 594.2K

-68.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

-8.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,831

$74.3 Rp 1.4M

-64.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$984 Rp 17.9M

-82.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 LKR 37.5K

$583 Rp 10.6M

-80.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$3,121 Rp 56.7M

-94.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

$1,475 Rp 26.8M

-93.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

$2,447 Rp 44.5M

-83.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

$1,963 Rp 35.7M

-79.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 LKR 86.9K

$215 Rp 3.9M

21.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-12.92%

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

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Bali

$275 22.7% 65.9% $109

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$113 22%

Bali

$583 48% 416% $470

Eating Out

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Bali

$90 7.4% 11.7% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Bali

$105 8.6% 38.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Bali

$101 8.3% 82.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Bali

$48 4% 194% $32

Getting Around

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Bali

$12 1% 74.1% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Kandy 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.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Kandy, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Kandy versus $29 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $275 – making Kandy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kandy Bali 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandy
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

Kandy vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 137% more than Kandy, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $770 per month in Kandy 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 Kandy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $984 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Kandy 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 $513 in Kandy and $1,214 in Bali. That’s a gap of about 137%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandy, where all-in costs run around $513, than in Bali at $1,214. In Kandy it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandy costs $513 versus $1,214 in Bali. 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.

For expats, Kandy is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 137% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.