Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index
65

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

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,041 in Chiayi versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Chiayi $1,041
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,471 in Chiayi versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Chiayi $1,471
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,901 in Chiayi versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Chiayi $1,901
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Chiayi costs roughly 23% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 NT$150

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

38.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.34 NT$1,511

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

30.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 NT$184

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

2.17%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NT$107

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

20.96%

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

$0.85 NT$27.72

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.81

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$97.2

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

12.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 NT$117

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

-18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

97.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 NT$63.5

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

-14.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 NT$99.5

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

156.30%

Eggs

$2.63 NT$85.8

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

28.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.97 NT$619

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

7.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 NT$322

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

149.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.28 NT$694

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

74.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$154

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.28 NT$107

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

115.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

28.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 NT$138

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

114.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 NT$86.2

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

43.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$71.6

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NT$56.1

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

73.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.48

$0.51 Rp 9,313

119.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 NT$122

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

68.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.48 NT$146

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-79.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.4

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-28.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.12 NT$395

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

54.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.8

$0.44 Rp 7,972

477.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 NT$14.70

$0.43 Rp 7,801

4.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 NT$292

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

65.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.62

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

21.95%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

42.90%

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

$23.5K NT$765.9K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

-26.01%

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

$64.7 NT$2,108

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-18.21%

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

$17.55 NT$572

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

172.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.76 NT$872

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

44.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.55 NT$996

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

-38.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

Cinema Ticket

$9.62 NT$314

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

125.29%

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

$712 NT$23.2K

$491 Rp 8.9M

45.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NT$525.9K

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

184.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 NT$2,027

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

39.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 NT$1,272

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

11.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 NT$2,698

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

3.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,317

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 NT$12.2K

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-66.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 NT$7,940

$671 Rp 12.2M

-63.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,070 NT$100.1K

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

12.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,843 NT$60.1K

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

-19.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,038 NT$66.4K

$164 Rp 3.0M

1143.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

13.78

-82.58%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$372 35.7%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 22.4% $83

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$244 23.4%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 176% $428

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$129 12.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 16.4% $21

Eating Out

Chiayi

$121 11.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 11.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$109 10.5%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 4.5% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$50 4.8%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 16.5% $8.2

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 32.5% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $374 in Chiayi and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays about 12 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Chiayi vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

Same time as Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

74,800

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiayi Ubud, Bali 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiayi
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

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

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Chiayi is about 12 times higher, 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: $374 in Chiayi versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,041 per month in Chiayi versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Chiayi is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 35% less than in Chiayi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Chiayi and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.