✦ Compare
Bali vs
Bangkok
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Bali, ID vs Bangkok, TH at a glance — Bangkok, TH is 36% more expensive than Bali, ID overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $600/mo versus $600/mo. Top income tax: 35% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Bangkok, TH, you'd need
$102,169 / year
Bangkok, TH is 36% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Bangkok, TH vs Bali, ID)
- Housing+38%
- Food & groceries+33%
- Transport+57%
- Utilities+64%
- Healthcare+56%
- Goods & services+20%
◎ How Bali, ID and Bangkok, TH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Bali, ID | Bangkok, TH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 46 | 63 |
| Housing | 40 | 55 |
| Food | 45 | 60 |
| Transport | 35 | 55 |
| Utilities | 55 | 90 |
| Healthcare | 45 | 70 |
| Goods & services | 55 | 66 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $600/mo | $600/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $350/mo | $400/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,200/mo | $1,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $2,000 | $3,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,169 | $1,592 |
| Inexpensive meal | $3 | $3 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $35 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 35% |
| VAT / sales tax | 11% | 7% |
| Corporate tax | 22% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $300/mo | $800/mo |
| Minimum wage | $200/mo | $300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $4,981✓ | $8,057✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.8%✓ | -0.1%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 60 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+7 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 48 | 57 |
| Safety index | 60 | 60 |
| Healthcare index | 55 | 72 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 70 |
| Internet speed | 25 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 35 | 60 |
| Public transport | 20 | 65 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 60 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Use caution |
| Health insurance | — | $50/mo |
| Life expectancy | 71 yr✓ | 77 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +27 °C | +27 °C |
| July avg | +27 °C | +29 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,700 mm | 1,650 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Indonesia vs Thailand. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Bali vs Bangkok — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Bali
The world's default digital-nomad island — Canggu cafés, Ubud rice terraces and Bukit surf breaks. Very low costs and a huge remote-work community, tempered by scooter-only transport, patchy infrastructure and visa runs.
- Currency
- Indonesian rupiah (Rp IDR)
- Languages
- Indonesian
- Time zone
- UTC+8
- Internet
- 25 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 27°C · ☀ 27°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/F · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Canggu · Ubud · Seminyak · Sanur
Good to know before you move to Bangkok
A nomad favourite — incredible cheap food, modern transit and low rents, wrapped in heat and traffic.
- Currency
- Thai baht (฿ THB)
- Languages
- Thai
- Time zone
- UTC+7
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 27°C · ☀ 29°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- A/B/C · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Sukhumvit · Sathorn · Ari
Plan your move to Bali
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Bangkok
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Bali to Bangkok: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Bali to Bangkok, your cost of living will be roughly 36% more expensive. Bangkok’s cost-of-living index is 63 versus 46 for Bali (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Bali cheaper than Bangkok?
Bangkok is about 36% more expensive than Bali overall — its cost-of-living index is 63 versus 46 for Bali.
Which is more expensive, Bali or Bangkok?
Bangkok is more expensive than Bali. Its cost-of-living index is 63 vs 46 (US = 100) — about 37% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Bali or Bangkok?
Rent is cheaper in Bali — about $600/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $600 in Bangkok.
How much do you need to earn in Bangkok to live like in Bali?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Bali is worth about $102,169 in Bangkok. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Bali or Bangkok?
Indonesia has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 35% in Thailand.
◷ More comparisons from Bali
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.