Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Uluwatu, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Uluwatu, Bali: $1,675 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Uluwatu, Bali
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Uluwatu, Bali Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Uluwatu, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Uluwatu, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,675 in Uluwatu, Bali.

Melbourne $2,852
Uluwatu, Bali $1,675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $2,848 in Uluwatu, Bali.

Melbourne $4,297
Uluwatu, Bali $2,848

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $4,020 in Uluwatu, Bali.

Melbourne $5,742
Uluwatu, Bali $4,020

Living in Melbourne is roughly 70% more expensive than in Uluwatu, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Uluwatu, Bali 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$3.95 Rp 70.7K

349.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$42.45 Rp 759.4K

99.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$6.92 Rp 123.7K

75.72%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$3.22 Rp 57.5K

22.05%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

57.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$3.21 Rp 57.4K

208.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$5.34 Rp 95.5K

55.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.61 Rp 28.9K

-3.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$2.30 Rp 41.1K

30.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$1.27 Rp 22.7K

126.77%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

140.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$18.24 Rp 326.3K

-41.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$4.07 Rp 72.7K

136.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$12.90 Rp 230.7K

16.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$3.66 Rp 65.5K

13.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$1.62 Rp 28.9K

88.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$2.34 Rp 41.9K

41.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$2.04 Rp 36.4K

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

54.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$2.44 Rp 43.6K

4.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

131.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.52 Rp 9,319

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$2.29 Rp 41.0K

1824.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$23.34 Rp 417.6K

-46.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$2.37 Rp 42.5K

124.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$3.12 Rp 55.9K

65.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$0.32 Rp 5,791

1100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$10.24 Rp 183.1K

1281.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$0.57 Rp 10.1K

671.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.57 Rp 10.2K

145.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$2.71 Rp 48.5K

1000.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.10 Rp 19.7K

32.73%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$30.7K Rp 549.1M

-8.29%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$38.3K Rp 685.4M

-32.28%

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

$233 A$334

$90.2 Rp 1.6M

157.87%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$7.15 Rp 128.0K

281.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$20.44 Rp 365.7K

179.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$64.8 Rp 1.2M

-18.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$20.82 Rp 372.4K

8.65%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$5.10 Rp 91.2K

235.29%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$556 Rp 10.0M

326.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$6,498 Rp 116.2M

368.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$50.8 Rp 908.3K

54.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$39.30 Rp 703.0K

28.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$88.4 Rp 1.6M

36.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$84.7 Rp 1.5M

57.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$1,523 Rp 27.2M

12.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$929 Rp 16.6M

50.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$4,862 Rp 87.0M

-31.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$2,353 Rp 42.1M

7.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$3,679 Rp 65.8M

90.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

$3,038 Rp 54.4M

122.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

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 Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Uluwatu, Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Uluwatu, Bali

$929 55.1% 33.7% $473

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Uluwatu, Bali

$301 17.8% 22% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Uluwatu, Bali

$118 7% 62.8% $199

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Uluwatu, Bali

$130 7.7% 58.7% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Uluwatu, Bali

$118 7% 31.2% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Uluwatu, Bali

$15 0.9% 91.1% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Uluwatu, Bali

$75 4.5% 13.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,523 in Uluwatu, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $42.00 in Uluwatu, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $301 per month, with Uluwatu, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇮🇩 Uluwatu, Bali

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

5,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Uluwatu, Bali 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Uluwatu, 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

Melbourne vs Uluwatu, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Uluwatu, Bali differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,675 including rent). Uluwatu, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,277 in Melbourne and $2,513 in Uluwatu, Bali to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $1,523 in Uluwatu, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $556 in Uluwatu, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,675 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Uluwatu, Bali but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Uluwatu, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Uluwatu, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Uluwatu, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.