Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
65

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

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $669 in Balikpapan versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Balikpapan $669
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,057 in Balikpapan versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Balikpapan $1,057
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Balikpapan versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Balikpapan $1,444
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 50% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

-57.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

$35.64 Rp 647.3K

-69.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$5.53 Rp 100.5K

-45.39%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

-50.74%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,320

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-79.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,034

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-48.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

-15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

-19.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-24.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

-53.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

-1.68%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

19.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

$17.70 Rp 321.5K

-59.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

-24.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

$12.19 Rp 221.4K

-29.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-40.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

-13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-30.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-39.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-19.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

-15.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.51 Rp 9,324

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

-19.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

$22.24 Rp 403.9K

-5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-20.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,151

$0.25 Rp 4,559

-8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

$7.82 Rp 142.1K

47.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$0.44 Rp 7,982

152.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,189

$0.43 Rp 7,811

-32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

-48.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

-8.54%

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

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

$23.8K Rp 433.0M

-2.80%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

$31.7K Rp 576.6M

-1.11%

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

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-18.90%

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

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

-35.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

$18.58 Rp 337.4K

58.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

$49.48 Rp 898.7K

-51.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

$17.65 Rp 320.5K

-53.14%

Cinema Ticket

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

-33.96%

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

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

$491 Rp 8.9M

-81.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

61.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

$44.64 Rp 810.7K

-15.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

$34.95 Rp 634.8K

-46.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

75.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 Rp 3.6M

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-82.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$671 Rp 12.2M

-78.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.2M

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-84.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 Rp 6.6M

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-78.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-51.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 Rp 14.1M

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-65.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$164 Rp 3.0M

45.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

13.78

-31.35%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.8%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 40.1% $83

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$143 21.4%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 369% $528

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$120 18%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 10.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$98 14.6%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 6.4% $6.3

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$58 8.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 87.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 96.8% $29

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$15 2.2%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 23.6% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Balikpapan and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balikpapan pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11 in Balikpapan vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $288 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

Same time as Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

74,800

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Balikpapan Ubud, Bali 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $669 in Balikpapan and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, so Balikpapan is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Balikpapan, 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: $197 in Balikpapan versus $1,125 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 32% less than in Balikpapan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $92 in Balikpapan versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $669 in Balikpapan versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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, Balikpapan and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.