Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bali: $1,224 a month against $3,157 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
Learn more

Port Vila Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,157

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,157 per month in Port Vila vs $1,224 in Bali, rent included.

Port Vila $3,157
Bali $1,224

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $2,064 in Bali, rent included.

Port Vila $4,290
Bali $2,064

A family of three spends $5,424 per month in Port Vila vs $2,904 in Bali, rent included.

Port Vila $5,424
Bali $2,904

Port Vila costs about 158% more than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Port Vila sits 136% above the global median, while Bali is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.64 VUV 1,480

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

361.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,540

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

88.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 VUV 1,673

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

201.48%

Cappuccino

$4.06 VUV 475

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

82.88%

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

$2.32 VUV 271

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

69.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 273

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

253.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 VUV 577

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

123.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 VUV 847

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 VUV 335

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

98.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 VUV 223

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

-12.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 VUV 448

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

241.96%

Eggs

$6.06 VUV 710

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

207.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.62 VUV 2,063

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

7.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.51 VUV 1,933

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

354.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 VUV 1,611

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

19.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.98 VUV 817

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

107.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 VUV 249

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

45.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 VUV 447

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

77.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.36 VUV 1,096

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

392.63%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,049

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

397.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 VUV 410

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 304

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

176.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 135

$0.48 Rp 8,577

141.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 VUV 1,073

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

328.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 VUV 1,479

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

-42.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 VUV 292

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 VUV 319

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

-1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 VUV 145

$0.26 Rp 4,661

376.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 VUV 8,054

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

751.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 VUV 291

$0.44 Rp 7,853

463.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 VUV 102

$0.42 Rp 7,491

107.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 VUV 611

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

-7.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 VUV 213

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

102.22%

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

$23.6K VUV 2.8M

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

-2.87%

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

$38.1K VUV 4.5M

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

20.80%

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

$640 VUV 74.9K

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

699.01%

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

$22.97 VUV 2,689

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

246.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$359 VUV 42.0K

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

1858.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,931

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

48.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 VUV 2,011

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

12.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

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

$625 VUV 73.2K

$442 Rp 7.9M

41.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 VUV 819.0K

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

33.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.44 VUV 4,852

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

-6.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.4 VUV 7,894

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

97.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 VUV 10.0K

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

10.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.0K

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

36.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 VUV 185.1K

$994 Rp 17.8M

59.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 VUV 130.8K

$588 Rp 10.5M

89.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,398 VUV 397.9K

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

10.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 VUV 219.2K

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

25.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,112 VUV 715.6K

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

156.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,206 VUV 258.3K

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

9.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 VUV 78.1K

$223 Rp 4.0M

198.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

13.78

-55.15%

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

Last update for Port Vila: 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

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.5%

Bali

$588 48% 47.3% $529

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.5%

Bali

$105 8.6% 89.7% $917

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$475 15.1%

Bali

$274 22.4% 42.3% $201

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Bali

$89 7.3% 64.4% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.3%

Bali

$104 8.5% 22.4% $30

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Bali

$12 1% 85.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Bali

$53 4.3% 21.8% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,581 in Port Vila 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 199% higher in Port Vila, 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 $56.0 in Port Vila versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $475 vs $274 – making Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

3 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Vila Bali 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Vila
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

Port Vila vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Vila costs about 158% more than Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,735 per month in Port Vila 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 $56.0 in Port Vila 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 $3,157 in Port Vila and $1,224 in Bali. That's a gap of about 158%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,224, than in Port Vila at $3,157. In Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bali costs $1,224 versus $3,157 in Port Vila. 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, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.