Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

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Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $383 per month in Varkala vs $1,187 in Bali, rent included.

Varkala $383
Bali $1,187

A couple spends around $608 per month in Varkala vs $2,004 in Bali, rent included.

Varkala $608
Bali $2,004

A family of three spends $833 per month in Varkala vs $2,822 in Bali, rent included.

Varkala $833
Bali $2,822

Varkala is about 68% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varkala and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Varkala 72% lower, Bali 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ₹216

$2.80 Rp 50.6K

-18.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.35 ₹978

$28.85 Rp 520.8K

-64.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.45 ₹326

$4.76 Rp 86.0K

-27.52%

Cappuccino

$1.57 ₹149

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

-29.60%

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

$0.37 ₹35.19

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

-71.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹16.55

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

-67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₹166

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹295

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

-11.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹67.4

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

-49.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.46

$2.18 Rp 39.4K

-79.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₹62.2

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

-37.14%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹84.2

$1.92 Rp 34.7K

-53.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.87 ₹460

$14.84 Rp 267.9K

-67.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 ₹282

$3.86 Rp 69.7K

-22.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 192.9K

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₹194

$3.34 Rp 60.2K

-38.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.1

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

-49.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ₹92.6

$2.22 Rp 40.1K

-55.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.8

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

-70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.97

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-77.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₹40.23

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

-80.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹42.20

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

-51.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.08

$0.46 Rp 8,308

-30.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ₹367

$2.06 Rp 37.1K

88.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ₹706

$20.38 Rp 367.8K

-63.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₹160

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

-21.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹261

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

-3.16%

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

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.35

$0.25 Rp 4,531

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.77 ₹829

$8.68 Rp 156.7K

1.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₹78.4

$0.44 Rp 7,956

88.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.36

$0.43 Rp 7,766

-41.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ₹135

$5.38 Rp 97.2K

-73.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ₹110

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

36.47%

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

$13.8K ₹1.3M

$23.7K Rp 428.5M

-41.88%

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

$22.2K ₹2.1M

$32.9K Rp 592.9M

-32.29%

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

$38.26 ₹3,614

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

-50.14%

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

$3.52 ₹332

$6.33 Rp 114.2K

-44.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.13 ₹673

$18.93 Rp 341.6K

-62.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.61 ₹1,475

$41.65 Rp 751.7K

-62.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.10 ₹671

$14.78 Rp 266.7K

-51.96%

Cinema Ticket

$2.85 ₹269

$3.58 Rp 64.6K

-20.39%

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

$51.9 ₹4,905

$437 Rp 7.9M

-88.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,542 ₹145.7K

$11.0K Rp 199.2M

-86.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.46 ₹2,311

$43.09 Rp 777.7K

-43.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.88 ₹2,351

$33.51 Rp 604.8K

-25.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.84 ₹3,953

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

-44.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.94 ₹2,922

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

-58.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ₹11.6K

$957 Rp 17.3M

-87.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.4 ₹7,127

$570 Rp 10.3M

-86.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ₹25.8K

$3,028 Rp 54.6M

-90.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹16.9K

$1,446 Rp 26.1M

-87.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,051 ₹99.3K

$2,096 Rp 37.8M

-49.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$599 ₹56.6K

$1,885 Rp 34.0M

-68.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

13.78

-37.08%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$105 27.5%

Bali

$263 22.2% 150% $158

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.7%

Bali

$570 48% 655% $494

Eating Out

Varkala

$65 16.9%

Bali

$89 7.5% 37.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.4%

Bali

$101 8.6% 84.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$49 12.8%

Bali

$102 8.6% 109% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$21 5.6%

Bali

$49 4.1% 129% $28

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Bali

$12 1% 2.7% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $123 in Varkala 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Varkala versus $29 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $263 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varkala Bali 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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

Varkala vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 210% more than Varkala, 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 $574 per month in Varkala 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 Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $957 in Bali.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $383 in Varkala and $1,187 in Bali. That makes Varkala about 68% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $52 per month in Varkala and $437 in Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Varkala costs $383 versus $1,187 in Bali. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.