Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,229 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $775 per month in Surat Thani vs $1,229 in Bali, rent included.

Surat Thani $775
Bali $1,229

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Surat Thani vs $2,053 in Bali, rent included.

Surat Thani $1,414
Bali $2,053

A family of three spends $2,053 per month in Surat Thani vs $2,877 in Bali, rent included.

Surat Thani $2,053
Bali $2,877

Surat Thani is about 37% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Surat Thani and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Surat Thani 43% lower, Bali 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

-31.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$29.09 Rp 523.7K

-38.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$4.66 Rp 83.9K

-3.22%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.31 Rp 41.5K

-35.06%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

-64.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$0.64 Rp 11.4K

-54.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

14.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$3.61 Rp 64.9K

2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$2.11 Rp 38.0K

-43.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

1.74%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

-4.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$16.38 Rp 294.8K

17.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$3.60 Rp 64.7K

-7.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$11.70 Rp 210.6K

-36.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$3.48 Rp 62.7K

-16.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

-20.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

-24.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

-37.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$1.00 Rp 17.9K

11.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$0.51 Rp 9,256

-19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

47.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$21.20 Rp 381.6K

-11.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$2.18 Rp 39.2K

-29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$2.88 Rp 51.9K

-36.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$0.23 Rp 4,137

343.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$8.27 Rp 148.8K

153.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$0.45 Rp 8,030

162.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$0.47 Rp 8,471

34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$5.42 Rp 97.6K

-35.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

39.76%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$24.0K Rp 431.7M

11.05%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$31.9K Rp 573.5M

-14.38%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-8.18%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$6.46 Rp 116.3K

72.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$18.69 Rp 336.4K

-7.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$45.96 Rp 827.2K

4.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$14.87 Rp 267.7K

-22.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$3.67 Rp 66.1K

23.43%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$443 Rp 8.0M

24.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$5,164 Rp 93.0M

123.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$43.58 Rp 784.5K

42.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$32.98 Rp 593.7K

-11.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

29.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$975 Rp 17.5M

-75.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$593 Rp 10.7M

-74.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$3,065 Rp 55.2M

-62.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$1,463 Rp 26.3M

-51.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$2,391 Rp 43.0M

-6.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$1,945 Rp 35.0M

-27.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 Rp 3.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.78

-59.58%

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

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Bali

$273 22.3% 11.9% $29

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Bali

$593 48.3% 298% $444

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Bali

$102 8.3% 17.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Bali

$105 8.5% 3.2% $3.2

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Bali

$90 7.3% 29% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Bali

$53 4.3% 7% $4

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Bali

$12 1% 59.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Surat Thani versus $975 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 $18.00 in Surat Thani versus $29.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $273 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

23:08 11:08 PM

1 h ahead of Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surat Thani Bali 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
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

Surat Thani vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 59% more than Surat Thani, 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 $1,163 per month in Surat Thani and $1,843 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, 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 $18.00 in Surat Thani and $29.00 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 $775 in Surat Thani and $1,229 in Bali. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Bali at $1,229. In Surat Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surat Thani costs $775 versus $1,229 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 Surat Thani. 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.