Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Denpasar, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Denpasar, Bali: $896 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,182
/mo nomad
Denpasar, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$896
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $896 in Denpasar, Bali.

  • Sydney $3,182
  • Denpasar, Bali $896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,522 in Denpasar, Bali.

  • Sydney $4,696
  • Denpasar, Bali $1,522

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $2,148 in Denpasar, Bali.

  • Sydney $6,210
  • Denpasar, Bali $2,148

Living in Sydney is roughly 255% more expensive than in Denpasar, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Denpasar, Bali is 33% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 A$25.28
$2.20 Rp 39.4K
702.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$97.1 A$139
$23.17 Rp 414.2K
319.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.94 A$17.09
$3.91 Rp 70.0K
205.37%
Cappuccino
$4.00 A$5.72
$1.75 Rp 31.4K
128.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 A$4.06
$1.08 Rp 19.3K
162.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 A$3.25
$0.51 Rp 9,203
345.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.89 A$11.29
$1.82 Rp 32.6K
333.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.13 A$10.20
$2.98 Rp 53.2K
139.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 A$2.38
$1.28 Rp 22.8K
29.69%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 A$4.00
$1.87 Rp 33.4K
49.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.33
$1.01 Rp 18.1K
129.70%
Eggs
$5.53 A$7.92
$1.74 Rp 31.1K
217.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.08 A$17.28
$13.76 Rp 245.9K
-12.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.84 A$14.09
$3.20 Rp 57.2K
207.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.61 A$23.78
$9.61 Rp 171.7K
72.84%
Apples (1kg)
$4.02 A$5.76
$2.95 Rp 52.8K
36.27%
Banana (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.51
$1.26 Rp 22.5K
150.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.50 A$5.01
$1.81 Rp 32.4K
93.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 A$6.39
$1.56 Rp 27.9K
186.54%
Potato (1kg)
$3.32 A$4.76
$1.52 Rp 27.2K
118.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 A$3.30
$1.96 Rp 35.0K
17.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 A$3.35
$0.78 Rp 13.9K
200.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 A$1.65
$0.43 Rp 7,736
167.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$45.02 A$64.4
$1.85 Rp 33.1K
2333.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.96 A$19.97
$18.22 Rp 325.8K
-23.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.98 A$5.70
$1.94 Rp 34.7K
105.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 A$5.82
$2.39 Rp 42.6K
70.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 A$4.52
$0.24 Rp 4,300
1216.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$150 A$215
$7.17 Rp 128.2K
1991.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 A$4.94
$0.40 Rp 7,106
762.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 A$2.33
$0.42 Rp 7,422
288.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.98 A$57.2
$3.12 Rp 55.8K
1181.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 A$2.01
$0.75 Rp 13.4K
86.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K A$40.7K
$21.5K Rp 384.0M
32.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K A$42.1K
$28.0K Rp 501.3M
4.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$220 A$315
$72.7 Rp 1.3M
202.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.70 A$39.64
$5.91 Rp 105.6K
368.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.5 A$79.5
$16.47 Rp 294.4K
237.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.3 A$106
$39.87 Rp 712.6K
86.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.95 A$34.28
$12.71 Rp 227.2K
88.43%
Cinema Ticket
$17.73 A$25.37
$3.01 Rp 53.8K
489.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,157 A$3,087
$381 Rp 6.8M
466.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.3K A$40.5K
$4,359 Rp 77.9M
549.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.4 A$112
$39.61 Rp 707.9K
97.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.5 A$101
$29.69 Rp 530.8K
137.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 A$159
$67.8 Rp 1.2M
64.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$189
$68.1 Rp 1.2M
93.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,514 A$3,598
$594 Rp 10.6M
323.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,732 A$2,478
$353 Rp 6.3M
390.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,889 A$6,996
$1,822 Rp 32.6M
168.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,039 A$4,349
$915 Rp 16.4M
232.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.2K A$18.9K
$1,461 Rp 26.1M
804.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,117 A$11.6K
$1,189 Rp 21.3M
582.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Denpasar, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,082 A$5,842
$284 Rp 5.1M
1335.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
13.78
-57.62%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sydney
$1.7K
Denpasar, Bali
$353 79.6% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Sydney
$380
Denpasar, Bali
$234 38.6% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
$303
Denpasar, Bali
$95 68.6% $208
Eating Out
Sydney
$299
Denpasar, Bali
$72 76% $227
Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
$176
Denpasar, Bali
$92 47.6% $84
Getting Around
Sydney
$174
Denpasar, Bali
$11 93.9% $164
Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
$110
Denpasar, Bali
$46 58.2% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $594 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1336% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $23.00 in Denpasar, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $234 per month, with Denpasar, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Sydney
🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali
🕒 Local time
18:39 6:39 PM
15:39 3:39 PM
3 h behind Sydney
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,840,600
788,445
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sydney Denpasar, Bali 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sydney
  • 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
Sydney vs Denpasar, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sydney and in Denpasar, Bali?
Sydney and Denpasar, Bali differ by about 255% in total monthly costs ($3,182 vs $896 including rent). Denpasar, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Sydney or Denpasar, Bali?
Average pay runs 1336% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Sydney and in Denpasar, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,514 in Sydney versus $594 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Sydney or Denpasar, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $3,182 per month in Sydney versus $896 in Denpasar, Bali – a 255% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Sydney and in Denpasar, Bali?
A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 1991% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $896 in Denpasar, Bali versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Denpasar, Bali but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Denpasar, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Sydney and Denpasar, Bali?
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.
Is Sydney or Denpasar, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Sydney 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.
Where should expats move: Sydney or Denpasar, Bali?
Expats usually find Denpasar, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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