Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boston, MA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $4,275 in Boston, MA, rent and utilities included – about $35,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

204

Cost of Living Index in Boston, MA
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Boston, MA Living Index
65

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

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Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,275

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,275 per month in Boston, MA vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Boston, MA $4,275
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $6,046 per month in Boston, MA vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Boston, MA $6,046
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $7,816 per month in Boston, MA vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Boston, MA $7,816
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Boston, MA costs about 217% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.91 $27.91

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

740.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

241.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

114.65%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

95.59%

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

$2.99 $2.99

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

75.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

207.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.95 $8.95

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

104.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-18.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

93.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

507.56%

Eggs

$6.08 $6.08

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

198.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.44 $15.44

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-12.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.08 $14.08

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

255.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.08 $19.08

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

56.52%

Apples (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

96.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

30.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

140.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

290.36%

Potato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

146.49%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

65.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

191.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.51 Rp 9,332

484.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.39 $13.39

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

503.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.33 $15.33

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-31.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

37.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

53.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.25 Rp 4,562

852.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 $89.5

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

1045.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.44 Rp 7,989

486.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.43 Rp 7,817

318.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 $27.46

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

407.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

40.24%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

23.34%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-18.05%

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

$243 $243

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

207.98%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

770.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.2 $84.2

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

352.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 $68.0

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

37.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.11 $41.11

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

132.92%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 $15.68

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

267.21%

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

$2,653 $2,653

$491 Rp 8.9M

440.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

543.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 $73.9

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

65.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 $51.9

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

48.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

38.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

94.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,400 $3,400

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

202.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$671 Rp 12.2M

285.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,840 $5,840

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

63.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,908 $3,908

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

126.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.0K $14.0K

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

411.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,470 $6,470

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

183.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,753 $5,753

$164 Rp 3.0M

3411.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

13.78

-51.67%

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

Last update for Boston, MA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boston, MA

$2.6K 60.5%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 74% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Boston, MA

$515 12.1%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 44% $227

Eating Out

Boston, MA

$403 9.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 73.2% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boston, MA

$384 9%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 72.9% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Boston, MA

$176 4.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 39% $69

Getting Around

Boston, MA

$111 2.6%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 89.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Boston, MA

$99 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 41.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,400 in Boston, MA versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Boston, MA are about 35 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Boston, MA versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $515 vs $288 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boston, MA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

12 h ahead of Boston, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,647

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,228 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

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Boston, MA Ubud, Bali 16,200 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

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Boston, MA
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

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

Boston, MA costs about 217% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,413 per month in Boston, MA and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,125 there versus $3,400 in Boston, MA.

Groceries cost about 79% more in Boston, MA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Boston, MA and $36 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,275 in Boston, MA and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,349 versus $4,275 in Boston, MA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Boston, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.