Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $623 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index
67

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

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Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Bukit Mertajam $623
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $979 in Bukit Mertajam versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Bukit Mertajam $979
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Bukit Mertajam $1,335
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Bukit Mertajam costs roughly 54% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bukit Mertajam is 54% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

-42.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.63 MYR 84.2

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-41.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 MYR 16.03

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-32.24%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.80

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

15.02%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.93

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-43.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 MYR 17.52

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

59.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 MYR 24.69

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

40.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-51.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

64.41%

Eggs

$2.52 MYR 10.26

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

17.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 MYR 57.4

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-19.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.71

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

7.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.65 MYR 39.35

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-21.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 MYR 14.24

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-1.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 MYR 7.32

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

14.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.42

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

3.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.23

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-20.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.42

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-29.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.76

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-38.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

13.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$0.53 Rp 9,475

26.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.48 MYR 79.5

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-15.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 MYR 14.91

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

55.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 MYR 20.60

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

73.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.48 Rp 8,684

147.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$0.46 Rp 8,233

171.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 MYR 20.50

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-7.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

-1.14%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

67.89%

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

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

10.35%

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

$62.4 MYR 255

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-24.78%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.85

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

32.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.31 MYR 107

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

41.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 MYR 20.65

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

15.53%

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

$242 MYR 989

$493 Rp 8.9M

-50.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

125.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 MYR 292

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

55.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.95 MYR 171

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

18.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 357

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 397

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

24.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 MYR 2,312

$165 Rp 3.0M

244.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

13.78

-69.67%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 7.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 19.9% $27

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 5.4% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 11% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 538% $54

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 68.5% $5.1

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Bukit Mertajam pays 244% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $290 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

Same time as Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

74,800

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bukit Mertajam Ubud, Bali 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bukit Mertajam
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

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

Bukit Mertajam and Ubud, Bali differ by about 119% in total monthly costs ($623 vs $1,368 including rent). Bukit Mertajam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 244% higher in Bukit Mertajam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $623 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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, Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.