Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Denpasar, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Denpasar, Bali: $896 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
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Denpasar, Bali Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Denpasar, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $896 in Denpasar, Bali.

Seoul $1,822
Denpasar, Bali $896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,522 in Denpasar, Bali.

Seoul $2,847
Denpasar, Bali $1,522

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $2,148 in Denpasar, Bali.

Seoul $3,872
Denpasar, Bali $2,148

Living in Seoul is roughly 103% more expensive than in Denpasar, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Denpasar, Bali is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$2.20 Rp 39.4K

313.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩90.0K

$23.17 Rp 414.6K

189.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,964

$3.91 Rp 70.0K

89.77%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,482

$1.75 Rp 31.4K

133.14%

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

$1.60 ₩2,146

$1.08 Rp 19.3K

48.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,081

$0.51 Rp 9,211

56.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,898

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

100.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,974

$2.98 Rp 53.3K

99.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,748

$1.28 Rp 22.8K

60.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,139

$1.87 Rp 33.4K

64.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,659

$1.01 Rp 18.1K

316.83%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,795

$1.74 Rp 31.1K

105.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$13.76 Rp 246.1K

30.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.20 Rp 57.2K

232.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.5K

$9.61 Rp 171.9K

175.13%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,969

$2.95 Rp 52.9K

151.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,743

$1.26 Rp 22.5K

180.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,884

$1.81 Rp 32.5K

224.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,554

$1.56 Rp 27.9K

308.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,040

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

146.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,345

$1.96 Rp 35.0K

27.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,920

$0.78 Rp 13.9K

274.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,545

$0.43 Rp 7,743

167.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,418

$1.85 Rp 33.1K

77.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$18.22 Rp 326.0K

1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,064

$1.94 Rp 34.7K

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,408

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

37.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,529

$0.24 Rp 4,304

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩61.1K

$7.17 Rp 128.3K

534.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,674

$0.40 Rp 7,112

770.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩805

$0.42 Rp 7,428

42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$3.12 Rp 55.9K

178.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,008

$0.75 Rp 13.4K

100.00%

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

$29.1K ₩39.1M

$21.5K Rp 384.3M

35.54%

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

$28.2K ₩37.9M

$28.0K Rp 501.7M

0.54%

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

$209 ₩280.5K

$72.7 Rp 1.3M

187.30%

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

$35.13 ₩47.2K

$5.91 Rp 105.7K

494.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$16.47 Rp 294.6K

28.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩77.0K

$39.87 Rp 713.2K

43.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$12.71 Rp 227.4K

25.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$3.01 Rp 53.8K

276.41%

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

$1,902 ₩2.6M

$381 Rp 6.8M

399.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$4,359 Rp 78.0M

416.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩79.1K

$39.61 Rp 708.5K

48.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.1K

$29.69 Rp 531.2K

8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.2K

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

3.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.8K

$68.1 Rp 1.2M

21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$594 Rp 10.6M

48.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩837.5K

$353 Rp 6.3M

76.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$1,822 Rp 32.6M

36.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$915 Rp 16.4M

39.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.1M

$1,461 Rp 26.1M

1942.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,189 Rp 21.3M

896.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$284 Rp 5.1M

1183.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

13.78

-70.39%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Denpasar, Bali

$353 39.1% 43.4% $271

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Denpasar, Bali

$234 25.9% 51.2% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Denpasar, Bali

$95 10.5% 64.1% $170

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Denpasar, Bali

$72 8% 60.9% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Denpasar, Bali

$92 10.2% 15.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Denpasar, Bali

$46 5.1% 42.6% $34

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Denpasar, Bali

$11 1.2% 81.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $594 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1183% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $23.00 in Denpasar, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $234 per month, with Denpasar, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

13:43 1:43 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

788,445

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Denpasar, Bali 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Denpasar, 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

Seoul vs Denpasar, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Denpasar, Bali differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $896 including rent). Denpasar, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1183% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $594 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Seoul versus $896 in Denpasar, Bali – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 534% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $896 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Denpasar, Bali but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Denpasar, 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, Seoul and Denpasar, 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 Denpasar, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.