Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boston and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,437 in Boston, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Boston
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Boston Living Index
66

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

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Boston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,437

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,437 in Boston versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Boston $2,437
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,513 in Boston versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Boston $3,513
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,590 in Boston versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Boston $4,590
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Boston is roughly 80% 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: Boston 80% above, Ubud, Bali 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.65 £19.99

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

725.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 £60.5

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

131.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

90.00%

Cappuccino

$4.98 £3.74

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

90.08%

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

$2.43 £1.83

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

41.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.53

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

150.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 £4.30

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

116.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 £4.18

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

27.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 £0.44

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-73.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

33.90%

Eggs

$4.17 £3.13

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

93.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 £6.85

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-48.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.22 £6.17

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

117.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.62 £12.47

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

39.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 £2.46

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

30.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 £2.56

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

78.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

-35.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-23.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

26.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.98

$0.53 Rp 9,509

145.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.21 £12.16

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

607.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 £6.42

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-61.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

1.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.53 £2.65

$0.23 Rp 4,112

1434.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

995.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 £3.11

$0.47 Rp 8,466

780.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.03 £3.02

$0.43 Rp 7,737

837.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.58 £23.69

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

477.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.45

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

132.53%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

59.72%

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

$39.6K £29.7K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

20.72%

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

$372 £279

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

364.57%

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

$17.79 £13.35

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

171.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.84 £33.64

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

141.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 £34.29

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-15.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 £7.59

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

138.12%

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

$1,614 £1,211

$493 Rp 8.9M

227.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K £14.7K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

249.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 £40.68

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

18.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 £30.22

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

15.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 £54.2

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

-7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 £45.16

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

-23.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £917

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 £789

$673 Rp 12.1M

56.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 £1,607

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-40.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 £1,266

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-0.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,514 £3,386

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

66.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,159 £3,121

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

85.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 £1,187

$166 Rp 3.0M

850.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

13.78

-62.19%

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

Last update for Boston: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boston

$1.1K 43.1%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 36% $378

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boston

$434 17.8%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 75.8% $329

Eating Out

Boston

$363 14.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 70.7% $257

Groceries & Markets

Boston

$285 11.7%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 0.9% $2.7

Getting Around

Boston

$136 5.6%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 90.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Boston

$102 4.2%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 4.4% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Boston

$66 2.7%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,222 in Boston and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boston pays 851% 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: $81.0 in Boston vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $287, with Boston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Boston

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

7 h ahead of Boston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,339

74,800

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boston Ubud, Bali 12,440 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Boston. 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 851% higher in Boston, 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: $1,222 in Boston versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,437 per month in Boston versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 995% less than in Boston. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,437 in Boston, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Boston. 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 $1,353 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Boston 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 80% less than in Boston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.