Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,679 in Arendal, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
67

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

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,679 in Arendal versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Arendal $2,679
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Arendal versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Arendal $3,805
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Arendal versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Arendal $4,931
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Arendal is roughly 96% 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: Arendal 98% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 NOK 184

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

485.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NOK 619

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

87.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 146

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

167.59%

Cappuccino

$5.33 NOK 50.2

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

95.24%

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

$3.49 NOK 32.84

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

112.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 NOK 30.62

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

291.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

327.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.08 NOK 114

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

180.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 NOK 21.78

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

54.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 32.63

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

50.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 NOK 35.56

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

220.34%

Eggs

$4.93 NOK 46.38

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

130.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 NOK 139

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-15.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 NOK 135

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

256.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.30 NOK 314

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

172.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.83

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-1.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.75

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

67.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.74

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

55.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 NOK 44.63

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

145.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.97

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

35.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.18

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.55

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

184.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 NOK 21.13

$0.53 Rp 9,475

322.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 NOK 166

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

675.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NOK 136

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-37.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.19

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

59.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

50.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 NOK 34.72

$0.24 Rp 4,315

1437.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 NOK 849

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

922.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$0.48 Rp 8,684

1172.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.03

$0.46 Rp 8,233

269.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 986

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

1822.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.31

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

156.82%

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

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

96.46%

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

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

31.44%

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

$252 NOK 2,372

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

203.55%

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

$34.68 NOK 326

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

437.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 751

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

329.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NOK 345

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-34.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 NOK 145

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

251.14%

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

$314 NOK 2,952

$493 Rp 8.9M

-36.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

139.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 NOK 1,176

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

170.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 NOK 410

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

23.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 NOK 1,165

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

56.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,922

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

160.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-2.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 NOK 9,783

$676 Rp 12.2M

53.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-55.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-14.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

47.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

39.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

$165 Rp 3.0M

2422.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

13.78

-66.04%

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

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arendal

$1K 38.8%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 35% $364

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$488 18.2%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 40.5% $198

Eating Out

Arendal

$375 14%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 71% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$366 13.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 70.5% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$223 8.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 51.9% $116

Getting Around

Arendal

$120 4.5%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 89.5% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$67 2.5%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 4.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Arendal and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 2422% 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: $66.0 in Arendal vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $290 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

03:35 3:35 AM

6 h ahead of Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

74,800

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

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

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arendal Ubud, Bali 11,770 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Arendal
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

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

Arendal and Ubud, Bali differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($2,679 vs $1,368 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2422% higher in Arendal, 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: $1,109 in Arendal versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Arendal versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Arendal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,679 in Arendal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Arendal. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arendal 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 96% less than in Arendal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.