Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sa Pa and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa Pa: $731 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

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Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $731 per month in Sa Pa vs $1,236 in Bali, rent included.

Sa Pa $731
Bali $1,236

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Sa Pa vs $2,086 in Bali, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,170
Bali $2,086

A family of three spends $1,608 per month in Sa Pa vs $2,937 in Bali, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,608
Bali $2,937

Sa Pa is about 41% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sa Pa and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Sa Pa 46% lower, Bali 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

-31.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.25 ₫550.1K

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

-28.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

-2.81%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

-26.72%

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

-66.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,831

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

-53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

-55.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.0K

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

-55.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

-7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.8K

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

-55.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

-15.38%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.2K

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

-30.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ₫303.8K

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

-29.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.7K

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

-13.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

-20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

-29.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

-39.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

-41.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

-43.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

-53.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

-34.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.51 Rp 9,186

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

-35.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₫300.6K

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

-45.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

-67.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

-43.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,276

$0.26 Rp 4,713

23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫168.6K

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

-18.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.48 Rp 8,646

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.43 Rp 7,705

44.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 ₫73.2K

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

-49.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

1.22%

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

$35.5K ₫920.2M

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

49.99%

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

$32.1K ₫829.7M

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

0.98%

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

$76.5 ₫2.0M

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

-5.89%

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

$5.96 ₫154.3K

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

-8.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.62 ₫223.1K

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

-52.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ₫574.5K

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

-52.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫196.5K

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

-49.57%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

-16.26%

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

$266 ₫6.9M

$445 Rp 8.0M

-40.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫303.6M

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

124.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.21 ₫1.0M

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

-5.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.33 ₫603.9K

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

-30.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

13.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫2.0M

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

2.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₫9.4M

$996 Rp 17.9M

-63.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$596 Rp 10.7M

-58.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

-76.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.8M

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

-64.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 ₫53.7M

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

-14.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ₫32.7M

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

-35.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

13.78

-33.96%

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

Last update for Sa Pa: 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

Sa Pa

$248 33.9%

Bali

$596 48.2% 141% $348

Groceries & Markets

Sa Pa

$191 26.2%

Bali

$277 22.4% 44.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Sa Pa

$101 13.8%

Bali

$101 8.2% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sa Pa

$91 12.5%

Bali

$106 8.6% 16.5% $15

Eating Out

Sa Pa

$60 8.2%

Bali

$90 7.3% 49.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sa Pa

$28 3.9%

Bali

$54 4.4% 91.3% $26

Getting Around

Sa Pa

$12 1.6%

Bali

$12 0.9% 0.3% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $365 in Sa Pa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Sa Pa versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $277 – making Sa Pa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

1 h ahead of Sa Pa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sa Pa Bali 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sa Pa
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

Sa Pa vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 69% more than Sa Pa, 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 $1,097 per month in Sa Pa 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 Sa Pa, 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 $21.00 in Sa Pa 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 $731 in Sa Pa and $1,236 in Bali. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sa Pa, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Bali at $1,236. In Sa Pa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sa Pa costs $731 versus $1,236 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.

If budget matters most, go with Sa Pa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.