Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Badulla and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $547 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index
64

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

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Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$547

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $547 in Badulla versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Badulla $547
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $883 in Badulla versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Badulla $883
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,219 in Badulla versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Badulla $1,219
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Badulla costs roughly 59% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Badulla 60% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 LKR 1,276

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

13.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.93 LKR 8,291

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

-28.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 LKR 2,507

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

35.37%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 823

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

-5.73%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-55.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.6

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

-57.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 752

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

-15.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 LKR 1,006

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

-29.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

-75.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 LKR 203

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

-45.05%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 548

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

-21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.15 LKR 5,038

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

-4.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 LKR 1,230

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

-4.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

-33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 LKR 2,198

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

86.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 LKR 296

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-42.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,421

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

91.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 420

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-36.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 LKR 362

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

-41.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 261

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-67.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 LKR 405

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

19.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$0.52 Rp 9,475

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

361.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 LKR 4,428

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

-38.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 634

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

-18.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 LKR 947

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$0.44 Rp 7,941

-6.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 LKR 111

$0.47 Rp 8,489

-29.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

-84.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 454

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

65.06%

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

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

75.10%

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

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

45.44%

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

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

-27.41%

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

$4.32 LKR 1,437

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

-29.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,873

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

9.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 LKR 1,461

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

0.23%

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

$40.51 LKR 13.5K

$492 Rp 8.9M

-91.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

43.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.24 LKR 6,068

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

-59.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.37 LKR 5,779

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

-50.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

-0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.18 LKR 13.7K

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

-47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.3 LKR 25.4K

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

-92.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

$665 Rp 12.1M

-93.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 LKR 29.9K

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

-94.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,570 LKR 1.5M

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

95.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$747 LKR 248.4K

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

-66.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 LKR 73.7K

$166 Rp 3.0M

33.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

13.78

-9.29%

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

Last update for Badulla: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Badulla

$237 43.3%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 18.2% $43

Eating Out

Badulla

$104 19.1%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 1.5% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Badulla

$81 14.9%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 26.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Badulla

$69 12.7%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 53% $37

Accommodation & Living

Badulla

$44 8.1%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 1398% $621

Sport & Entertainment

Badulla

$8.8 * 1.6%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 581% $51

Getting Around

Badulla

$2.1 * 0.4%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 475% $9.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $76 in Badulla and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Badulla pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Badulla vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $279 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Badulla

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

13:18 1:18 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Badulla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,421 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.9 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Badulla Ubud, Bali 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Badulla
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

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

Badulla is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Badulla, 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: $76 in Badulla versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $41 in Badulla versus $492 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25 versus $35 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $547 in Badulla versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla 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, Badulla and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.