Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,501 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
67

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

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Cairns vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Cairns $2,501
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cairns vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Cairns $3,716
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Cairns vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Cairns $4,931
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Cairns costs about 83% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairns and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Cairns by 85%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$25.00

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

421.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 A$138

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

171.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 A$18.15

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

117.59%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.08

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

54.95%

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

$3.27 A$4.70

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

99.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.95

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

231.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$10.25

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

164.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 A$12.07

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

95.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 A$2.64

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.87

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

16.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

113.56%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.68

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

149.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.04

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-48.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 A$19.49

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

235.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 A$21.44

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

21.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.02

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

17.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

80.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.32

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

65.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 A$8.50

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

206.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

30.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

12.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 A$4.09

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

186.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.53 Rp 9,475

373.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$64.1

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

1852.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 A$19.95

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-39.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

55.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

80.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

$0.24 Rp 4,315

1383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 A$21.70

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

70.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.48 Rp 8,684

422.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.83

$0.46 Rp 8,233

328.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$59.7

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

660.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.77

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

39.77%

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

$30.8K A$44.3K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

25.35%

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

$40.7K A$58.6K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

30.63%

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

$165 A$238

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

99.29%

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

$34.27 A$49.32

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

431.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 A$93.4

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

249.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 A$63.0

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-21.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

51.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.79

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

213.93%

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

$2,100 A$3,022

$493 Rp 8.9M

326.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K A$20.3K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

144.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 A$130

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

95.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

101.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$179

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

56.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

65.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,071

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,760

$676 Rp 12.2M

81.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,267

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-35.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 A$2,791

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

14.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,429 A$9,251

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

130.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,078

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

119.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,424 A$6,366

$165 Rp 3.0M

2588.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

13.78

-54.14%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 44.8% $548

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.4%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 29% $119

Eating Out

Cairns

$304 12.2%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 64.2% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$265 10.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 59.2% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$187 7.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 42.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$71 2.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 9.4% $6.7

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 69.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Cairns versus $1,142 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 run about 2589% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $290 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

2 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

74,800

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairns Ubud, Bali 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
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

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

Cairns costs about 83% 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 $3,751 per month in Cairns and $2,051 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Cairns, 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 $96.0 in Cairns and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Cairns at $2,501. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,368 versus $2,501 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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