Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,233 in Cologne, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cologne, Germany
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Cologne
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,233
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,233 in Cologne versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cologne $2,233
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,388 in Cologne versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cologne $3,388
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,543 in Cologne versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cologne $4,543
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Cologne is roughly 66% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.02 €15.29
$3.32 Rp 59.9K
412.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.7 €75.2
$35.64 Rp 642.4K
134.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.82 €10.62
$5.53 Rp 99.7K
113.74%
Cappuccino
$4.02 €3.61
$2.72 Rp 49.0K
47.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.36
$1.70 Rp 30.7K
120.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 €2.80
$0.76 Rp 13.7K
310.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.45 €4.90
$2.65 Rp 47.8K
105.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.46 €4.91
$4.38 Rp 79.0K
24.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 €1.14
$1.49 Rp 26.9K
-14.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.56 €2.30
$2.28 Rp 41.0K
12.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.09 €2.78
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
159.66%
Eggs
$3.71 €3.33
$2.04 Rp 36.7K
81.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.64 €11.36
$17.70 Rp 319.1K
-28.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.08 €10.85
$3.96 Rp 71.4K
205.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.79 €20.48
$12.19 Rp 219.7K
86.96%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 €2.73
$3.66 Rp 65.9K
-16.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 €1.82
$1.52 Rp 27.4K
33.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
16.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 €3.39
$1.97 Rp 35.6K
91.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.42 €1.27
$1.85 Rp 33.3K
-23.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.03
$2.42 Rp 43.7K
-52.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 €1.36
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
52.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.99
$0.51 Rp 9,255
115.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.84 €8.84
$2.22 Rp 40.0K
343.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.54 €5.88
$22.24 Rp 400.9K
-70.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 €1.13
$2.26 Rp 40.7K
-44.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.52
$2.97 Rp 53.5K
-43.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.90 €3.51
$0.25 Rp 4,525
1460.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.5 €64.2
$7.82 Rp 141.0K
814.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 €4.82
$0.44 Rp 7,923
1118.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.74 €2.46
$0.43 Rp 7,753
537.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.45 €30.06
$5.41 Rp 97.5K
518.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 €2.00
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
170.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K €29.8K
$23.8K Rp 429.7M
38.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.0K €34.1K
$31.7K Rp 572.3M
19.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$301 €271
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
280.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 €10.93
$6.45 Rp 116.2K
88.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.02 €32.36
$18.58 Rp 334.9K
93.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.99 €37.73
$49.48 Rp 892.0K
-15.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.28 €31.70
$17.65 Rp 318.1K
99.89%
Cinema Ticket
$15.90 €14.29
$4.27 Rp 77.0K
272.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,103 €991
$491 Rp 8.8M
124.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.0K €19.7K
$5,674 Rp 102.3M
287.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.4 €78.6
$44.64 Rp 804.7K
95.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.11 €36.93
$34.95 Rp 630.1K
17.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €91.1
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
26.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$134 €120
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
68.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,223 €1,099
$1,125 Rp 20.3M
8.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$917 €824
$671 Rp 12.1M
36.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,340 €2,103
$3,565 Rp 64.3M
-34.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,628 €1,463
$1,723 Rp 31.1M
-5.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,324 €6,581
$2,732 Rp 49.2M
168.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,056 €4,543
$2,284 Rp 41.2M
121.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cologne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,562 €3,201
$164 Rp 3.0M
2074.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.83
13.78
-72.21%

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

Last update for Cologne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cologne
$917
Ubud, Bali
$672 26.8% $246
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cologne
$349
Ubud, Bali
$104 70.2% $245
Groceries & Markets
Cologne
$337
Ubud, Bali
$288 14.5% $49
Eating Out
Cologne
$285
Ubud, Bali
$108 62.3% $178
Clothing & Footwear
Cologne
$164
Ubud, Bali
$108 34.3% $56
Getting Around
Cologne
$106
Ubud, Bali
$11 89.2% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Cologne
$74
Ubud, Bali
$58 21.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,223 in Cologne and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cologne pays about 22 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Cologne vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇩🇪 Cologne
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
10:13 10:13 AM
17:13 5:13 PM
7 h ahead of Cologne
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,095,520
74,800
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cologne Ubud, Bali 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cologne
  • 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
Cologne vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cologne and in Ubud, Bali?
Cologne and Ubud, Bali differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($2,233 vs $1,349 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Cologne or Ubud, Bali?
Average pay in Cologne is about 22 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Cologne and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,223 in Cologne versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Cologne and in Ubud, Bali?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 89% less than in Cologne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Cologne and Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $1,103 in Cologne versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Where should families live: Cologne or Ubud, Bali?
For families, Ubud, Bali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cologne, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Is Cologne or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cologne 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.
Where should expats move: Cologne or Ubud, Bali?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Cologne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cologne vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?