Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uluwatu, Bali and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $614 a month against $1,649 in Uluwatu, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia
Palembang, Indonesia
Uluwatu, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,649
/mo nomad
Palembang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uluwatu, Bali and in Palembang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,649 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $614 in Palembang.

  • Uluwatu, Bali $1,649
  • Palembang $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $962 in Palembang.

  • Uluwatu, Bali $2,833
  • Palembang $962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,017 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $1,310 in Palembang.

  • Uluwatu, Bali $4,017
  • Palembang $1,310

Living in Uluwatu, Bali is roughly 169% more expensive than in Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Uluwatu, Bali is 21% above, Palembang is 55% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.90 Rp 70.9K
$1.11 Rp 20.2K
251.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.32 Rp 786.8K
$15.66 Rp 284.4K
176.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.66 Rp 120.9K
$2.78 Rp 50.4K
139.57%
Cappuccino
$3.16 Rp 57.5K
$1.32 Rp 23.9K
139.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 Rp 36.5K
$0.80 Rp 14.6K
151.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 Rp 16.7K
$0.24 Rp 4,365
283.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 Rp 58.8K
$1.61 Rp 29.3K
101.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 Rp 93.8K
$3.26 Rp 59.1K
58.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 Rp 29.8K
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
47.75%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 Rp 43.6K
$1.11 Rp 20.2K
116.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 Rp 22.8K
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
53.66%
Eggs
$2.21 Rp 40.2K
$1.27 Rp 23.0K
74.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.40 Rp 334.2K
$7.21 Rp 130.9K
155.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.10 Rp 74.5K
$2.86 Rp 52.0K
43.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.58 Rp 228.4K
$7.43 Rp 134.9K
69.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.68 Rp 66.8K
$2.13 Rp 38.7K
72.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 Rp 30.1K
$1.22 Rp 22.1K
36.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 Rp 44.3K
$1.59 Rp 28.9K
53.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.00 Rp 36.4K
$1.28 Rp 23.2K
56.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 Rp 34.0K
$1.23 Rp 22.4K
52.03%
Onion (1kg)
$2.50 Rp 45.4K
$1.66 Rp 30.2K
50.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 Rp 19.5K
$0.77 Rp 14.0K
38.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 Rp 9,855
$0.40 Rp 7,191
35.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.33 Rp 42.3K
$2.19 Rp 39.7K
6.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.39 Rp 424.8K
$20.54 Rp 373.0K
13.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 Rp 45.0K
$1.79 Rp 32.6K
38.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 Rp 56.5K
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
4.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 Rp 5,206
$0.40 Rp 7,264
-27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.34 Rp 206.0K
$11.18 Rp 203.0K
1.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 Rp 10.8K
$0.53 Rp 9,680
13.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.55 Rp 9,915
$0.33 Rp 6,014
66.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.60 Rp 47.1K
$2.66 Rp 48.3K
-2.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 Rp 18.7K
$0.85 Rp 15.4K
21.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.0K Rp 545.7M
$23.0K Rp 417.9M
30.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.1K Rp 727.6M
$31.4K Rp 569.6M
27.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.3 Rp 1.6M
$70.7 Rp 1.3M
26.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.18 Rp 130.4K
$4.22 Rp 76.7K
70.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.86 Rp 360.6K
$18.90 Rp 343.2K
5.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 Rp 1.1M
$18.31 Rp 332.6K
217.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.68 Rp 375.6K
$7.75 Rp 140.7K
166.84%
Cinema Ticket
$5.06 Rp 91.9K
$2.67 Rp 48.6K
89.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 Rp 9.9M
$100 Rp 1.8M
443.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,343 Rp 115.2M
$6,925 Rp 125.8M
-8.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.39 Rp 897.0K
$42.58 Rp 773.2K
15.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.55 Rp 700.2K
$27.81 Rp 505.0K
38.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.3 Rp 1.6M
$73.5 Rp 1.3M
18.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.4 Rp 1.6M
$69.3 Rp 1.3M
23.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,531 Rp 27.8M
$225 Rp 4.1M
580.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$901 Rp 16.4M
$143 Rp 2.6M
529.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,801 Rp 87.2M
$499 Rp 9.1M
862.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,305 Rp 41.9M
$323 Rp 5.9M
614.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,735 Rp 67.8M
$1,157 Rp 21.0M
222.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,095 Rp 56.2M
$754 Rp 13.7M
310.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Uluwatu, Bali
Palembang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$299 Rp 5.4M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
9.46
45.67%

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

Last update for Uluwatu, Bali: October 26, 2026

Last update for Palembang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Uluwatu, Bali
$901
Palembang
$143 84.1% $758
Groceries & Markets
Uluwatu, Bali
$303
Palembang
$190 37.1% $112
Eating Out
Uluwatu, Bali
$127
Palembang
$52 59.3% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Uluwatu, Bali
$117
Palembang
$96 18.2% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uluwatu, Bali
$116
Palembang
$94 19.3% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Uluwatu, Bali
$68
Palembang
$24 65.3% $45
Getting Around
Uluwatu, Bali
$16
Palembang
$15 5.4% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,531 in Uluwatu, Bali and $225 in Palembang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Uluwatu, Bali vs $16 in Palembang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $190 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Uluwatu, Bali
🇮🇩 Palembang
🕒 Local time
18:57 6:57 PM
17:57 5:57 PM
1 h behind Uluwatu, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,000
1,708,413
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Uluwatu, Bali Palembang 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Uluwatu, Bali
  • Palembang

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
Uluwatu, Bali vs Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Palembang cheaper than Uluwatu, Bali?
Palembang is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,473 in Uluwatu, Bali and $920 in Palembang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Uluwatu, Bali and Palembang?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,531 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $225 in Palembang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $545 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $100 in Palembang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Uluwatu, Bali or in Palembang?
Dining out is cheaper in Palembang – a meal for two runs $16 versus $43 in Uluwatu, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Uluwatu, Bali or in Palembang?
At $614 in Palembang versus $1,649 in Uluwatu, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palembang but tight or insufficient in Uluwatu, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Palembang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Uluwatu, Bali or in Palembang?
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.

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