Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,348 a month against $2,588 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,588

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abu Dhabi and in Ubud, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,588 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali.

Abu Dhabi $2,588
Ubud, Bali $1,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,950 in Abu Dhabi versus $2,312 in Ubud, Bali.

Abu Dhabi $3,950
Ubud, Bali $2,312

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,312 in Abu Dhabi versus $3,276 in Ubud, Bali.

Abu Dhabi $5,312
Ubud, Bali $3,276

Living in Abu Dhabi is roughly 92% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abu Dhabi 93% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 AED 29.58

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

141.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.7 AED 197

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

51.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 AED 35.38

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

67.19%

Cappuccino

$5.79 AED 21.27

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

120.15%

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

$1.17 AED 4.28

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

-32.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.40 AED 41.86

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

320.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.76 AED 43.18

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

160.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 AED 7.36

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

30.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 AED 5.89

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 AED 8.33

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

86.07%

Eggs

$3.44 AED 12.64

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

60.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 AED 42.47

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

-34.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 AED 34.80

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

145.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.21 AED 37.51

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

-15.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 AED 9.20

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

-30.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 AED 7.49

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

35.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 AED 6.88

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

-19.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 AED 5.89

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

-33.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 AED 4.44

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

-49.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.08

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

67.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 AED 2.10

$0.52 Rp 9,373

9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.49 AED 23.83

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

197.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 AED 49.65

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

-41.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 AED 9.32

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

-15.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 AED 2.45

$0.24 Rp 4,255

179.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.63 AED 97.8

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

280.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.08

$0.44 Rp 7,876

647.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 AED 2.08

$0.42 Rp 7,582

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 AED 30.50

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

52.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.60

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

16.67%

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

$29.9K AED 109.8K

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

22.89%

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

$21.9K AED 80.6K

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

-31.21%

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

$193 AED 708

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

138.41%

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

$56.8 AED 209

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

763.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 AED 326

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

386.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$96.1 AED 353

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

74.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.64 AED 160

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

135.76%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 AED 55.8

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

258.49%

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

$781 AED 2,867

$486 Rp 8.7M

60.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K AED 54.6K

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

161.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 AED 230

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

38.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.25 AED 177

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

39.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 AED 404

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

39.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 AED 411

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

44.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 AED 7,143

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

72.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 AED 5,095

$674 Rp 12.1M

105.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,954 AED 14.5K

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,722 AED 9,998

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

56.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,896 AED 18.0K

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

73.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,856 AED 10.5K

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

23.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,881 AED 10.6K

$166 Rp 3.0M

1638.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

13.78

-66.98%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54.1%

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6% 51.4% $713

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abu Dhabi

$338 13.2%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 68.8% $233

Groceries & Markets

Abu Dhabi

$276 10.8%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4% 5% $14

Eating Out

Abu Dhabi

$250 9.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 56.7% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Abu Dhabi

$150 5.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 29% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Abu Dhabi

$127 4.9%

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7% 49.7% $63

Getting Around

Abu Dhabi

$35 1.4%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8% 70.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,945 in Abu Dhabi and $1,127 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abu Dhabi pays 1639% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $54.0 in Abu Dhabi vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $276 vs $290, with Abu Dhabi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

18:33 6:33 PM

4 h ahead of Abu Dhabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

921,000 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abu Dhabi Ubud, Bali 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Abu Dhabi
Ubud, 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

Abu Dhabi vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 92% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1639% higher in Abu Dhabi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,945 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,127 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 281% less than in Abu Dhabi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $781 in Abu Dhabi versus $486 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,588 in Abu Dhabi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Abu Dhabi. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,348 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Abu Dhabi and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Abu Dhabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.