Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $293 per month in Varanasi vs $1,187 in Bali, rent included.

Varanasi $293
Bali $1,187

A couple spends around $483 per month in Varanasi vs $2,004 in Bali, rent included.

Varanasi $483
Bali $2,004

A family of three spends $672 per month in Varanasi vs $2,822 in Bali, rent included.

Varanasi $672
Bali $2,822

Varanasi is about 75% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varanasi and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Varanasi 78% lower, Bali 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₹177

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

-32.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.02 ₹753

$28.85 Rp 522.3K

-72.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 ₹302

$4.76 Rp 86.2K

-32.56%

Cappuccino

$1.65 ₹155

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-26.01%

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

$0.41 ₹38.43

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

-68.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.02

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

-80.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹152

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-27.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹199

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

-40.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 ₹62.1

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

-53.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 ₹27.01

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

-86.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.3

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

-48.57%

Eggs

$0.83 ₹77.9

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

-56.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.28 ₹308

$14.84 Rp 268.7K

-77.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹200

$3.86 Rp 69.9K

-44.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 193.4K

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 ₹134

$3.34 Rp 60.4K

-57.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹60.8

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

-55.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₹83.8

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

-59.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.45

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

-80.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ₹24.48

$1.72 Rp 31.1K

-84.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.53

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

-89.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₹42.93

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.36

$0.46 Rp 8,333

-39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹300

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

55.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₹548

$20.38 Rp 368.9K

-71.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹151

$2.16 Rp 39.2K

-25.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₹186

$2.85 Rp 51.6K

-30.53%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.24 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₹52.0

$0.25 Rp 4,544

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.71 ₹912

$8.68 Rp 157.2K

11.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.24 ₹22.52

$0.44 Rp 7,980

-45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 ₹10.89

$0.43 Rp 7,789

-72.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.0

$5.38 Rp 97.5K

-80.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹99.1

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

23.53%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$23.7K Rp 429.8M

-52.54%

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

$22.2K ₹2.1M

$32.9K Rp 594.7M

-32.40%

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

$12.68 ₹1,191

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

-83.48%

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

$3.63 ₹341

$6.33 Rp 114.5K

-42.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.84 ₹643

$18.93 Rp 342.7K

-63.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.72 ₹1,194

$41.65 Rp 754.0K

-69.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 267.5K

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 ₹273

$3.58 Rp 64.8K

-18.72%

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

$38.77 ₹3,641

$437 Rp 7.9M

-91.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,088 ₹102.2K

$11.0K Rp 199.8M

-90.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.62 ₹2,218

$43.09 Rp 780.0K

-45.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.11 ₹2,358

$33.51 Rp 606.6K

-25.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.81 ₹3,644

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

-48.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.32 ₹2,377

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

-65.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ₹10.7K

$957 Rp 17.3M

-88.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.99 ₹4,413

$570 Rp 10.3M

-91.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₹18.7K

$3,028 Rp 54.8M

-93.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ₹13.1K

$1,446 Rp 26.2M

-90.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$560 ₹52.5K

$2,096 Rp 37.9M

-73.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$340 ₹31.9K

$1,885 Rp 34.1M

-81.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$575 ₹53.9K

$215 Rp 3.9M

166.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

13.78

-38.10%

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

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$82 28%

Bali

$263 22.2% 221% $181

Eating Out

Varanasi

$59 20.1%

Bali

$89 7.5% 51.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$51 17.3%

Bali

$101 8.6% 99.8% $51

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16%

Bali

$570 48% 1113% $523

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 7.9%

Bali

$102 8.6% 340% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.3%

Bali

$49 4.1% 163% $30

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Bali

$12 1% 3.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Varanasi versus $957 in Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Varanasi are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Varanasi versus $29 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $82 vs $263 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

02:26 2:26 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varanasi Bali 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
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

Varanasi vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 305% more than Varanasi, 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 $440 per month in Varanasi and $1,780 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Varanasi and $29 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 $293 in Varanasi and $1,187 in Bali. That makes Varanasi about 75% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Varanasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.