Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uluwatu, Bali and Pekanbaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $1,692 in Uluwatu, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Uluwatu, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Pekanbaru
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$628
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Pekanbaru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $628 in Pekanbaru.

  • Uluwatu, Bali $1,692
  • Pekanbaru $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,873 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $983 in Pekanbaru.

  • Uluwatu, Bali $2,873
  • Pekanbaru $983

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $1,339 in Pekanbaru.

  • Uluwatu, Bali $4,054
  • Pekanbaru $1,339

Living in Uluwatu, Bali is roughly 170% more expensive than in Pekanbaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Uluwatu, Bali is 25% above, Pekanbaru is 53% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.94 Rp 70.9K
$1.43 Rp 25.8K
175.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.05 Rp 757.0K
$8.20 Rp 147.6K
412.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.72 Rp 120.9K
$2.41 Rp 43.4K
178.84%
Cappuccino
$3.25 Rp 58.5K
$1.30 Rp 23.3K
150.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 Rp 37.5K
$0.58 Rp 10.4K
260.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 Rp 17.0K
$0.33 Rp 5,954
184.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.14 Rp 56.6K
$2.07 Rp 37.3K
51.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 Rp 97.9K
$3.45 Rp 62.1K
57.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 Rp 29.6K
$1.30 Rp 23.3K
26.15%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 Rp 42.9K
$1.15 Rp 20.6K
106.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 Rp 23.2K
$0.89 Rp 16.1K
44.94%
Eggs
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
$1.68 Rp 30.3K
35.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.59 Rp 334.5K
$7.30 Rp 131.3K
154.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.18 Rp 75.2K
$2.37 Rp 42.7K
76.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.92 Rp 232.5K
$6.49 Rp 116.9K
99.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.72 Rp 66.9K
$2.70 Rp 48.5K
37.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 Rp 29.8K
$1.70 Rp 30.6K
-2.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.48 Rp 44.6K
$2.41 Rp 43.4K
2.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.02 Rp 36.3K
$1.27 Rp 22.8K
59.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 Rp 35.0K
$1.24 Rp 22.3K
56.45%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 Rp 45.5K
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
32.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 Rp 18.7K
$0.75 Rp 13.5K
38.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,237
$0.35 Rp 6,350
45.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 Rp 42.6K
$2.16 Rp 38.9K
9.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.90 Rp 430.2K
$21.45 Rp 386.0K
11.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 Rp 44.7K
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
29.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 Rp 56.7K
$3.01 Rp 54.2K
4.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 Rp 5,310
$0.29 Rp 5,230
3.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.28 Rp 185.1K
$8.44 Rp 152.0K
21.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 Rp 10.8K
$0.92 Rp 16.6K
-34.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 Rp 9,437
$0.40 Rp 7,154
30.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.71 Rp 48.8K
$2.68 Rp 48.2K
1.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 Rp 19.9K
$0.76 Rp 13.6K
44.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K Rp 538.1M
$23.3K Rp 418.9M
28.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.6K Rp 712.6M
$26.0K Rp 468.5M
52.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.3 Rp 1.6M
$62.1 Rp 1.1M
43.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.09 Rp 127.7K
$5.99 Rp 107.9K
18.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.79 Rp 374.2K
$23.78 Rp 428.1K
-12.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.6 Rp 1.1M
$28.34 Rp 510.2K
124.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.80 Rp 374.5K
$8.31 Rp 149.7K
150.30%
Cinema Ticket
$5.01 Rp 90.1K
$3.03 Rp 54.6K
65.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$560 Rp 10.1M
$96.0 Rp 1.7M
483.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,562 Rp 118.1M
$7,773 Rp 139.9M
-15.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.97 Rp 899.5K
$31.96 Rp 575.3K
56.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.06 Rp 685.1K
$28.42 Rp 511.6K
33.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.5 Rp 1.6M
$54.8 Rp 985.5K
61.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.5 Rp 1.6M
$80.8 Rp 1.5M
8.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,518 Rp 27.3M
$262 Rp 4.7M
479.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$933 Rp 16.8M
$145 Rp 2.6M
544.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,875 Rp 87.7M
$540 Rp 9.7M
802.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,323 Rp 41.8M
$356 Rp 6.4M
552.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,738 Rp 67.3M
$1,070 Rp 19.3M
249.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,108 Rp 55.9M
$807 Rp 14.5M
284.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Uluwatu, Bali
Pekanbaru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$176 Rp 3.2M
-
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 12, 2026

Last update for Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Uluwatu, Bali
$933
Pekanbaru
$145 84.5% $788
Groceries & Markets
Uluwatu, Bali
$306
Pekanbaru
$201 34.4% $105
Eating Out
Uluwatu, Bali
$129
Pekanbaru
$55 57.4% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Uluwatu, Bali
$119
Pekanbaru
$88 25.8% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uluwatu, Bali
$117
Pekanbaru
$92 21.6% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Uluwatu, Bali
$74
Pekanbaru
$34 53.3% $39
Getting Around
Uluwatu, Bali
$15
Pekanbaru
$13 14.7% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,518 in Uluwatu, Bali and $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Uluwatu, Bali vs $8.00 in Pekanbaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $201 per month, with Pekanbaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Uluwatu, Bali
🇮🇩 Pekanbaru
🕒 Local time
12:20 12:20 PM
11:20 11:20 AM
1 h behind Uluwatu, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,000
1,020,308
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Uluwatu, Bali Pekanbaru 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Uluwatu, Bali
  • Pekanbaru

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 Pekanbaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pekanbaru cheaper than Uluwatu, Bali?
Pekanbaru is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $2,538 in Uluwatu, Bali and $942 in Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,518 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Uluwatu, Bali or in Pekanbaru?
Dining out is cheaper in Pekanbaru – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $42.00 in Uluwatu, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Uluwatu, Bali and in Pekanbaru?
All in, you'll spend $1,692 per month in Uluwatu, Bali versus $628 in Pekanbaru – a 170% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Uluwatu, Bali or in Pekanbaru?
At $628 in Pekanbaru versus $1,692 in Uluwatu, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pekanbaru but tight or insufficient in Uluwatu, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Pekanbaru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Uluwatu, Bali or Pekanbaru more family-friendly?
For families, Pekanbaru is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Uluwatu, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Uluwatu, Bali or Pekanbaru?
Safety-wise, Uluwatu, Bali and Pekanbaru are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Pekanbaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Uluwatu, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Uluwatu, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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