Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $796 a month against $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
66

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

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$796

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $796 in Colombo versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali.

Colombo $796
Ubud, Bali $1,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,198 in Colombo versus $2,312 in Ubud, Bali.

Colombo $1,198
Ubud, Bali $2,312

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,600 in Colombo versus $3,276 in Ubud, Bali.

Colombo $1,600
Ubud, Bali $3,276

Living in Colombo costs roughly 41% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Colombo is 41% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.52 LKR 1,496

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

35.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.54 LKR 8,118

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

-30.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 LKR 2,483

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

30.38%

Cappuccino

$2.49 LKR 825

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

-5.32%

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

$0.72 LKR 238

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

-58.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

-64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 LKR 740

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

-17.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 LKR 1,019

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

-31.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 LKR 514

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

-75.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 267

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

-33.61%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 539

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

-23.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 LKR 4,624

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

-21.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 LKR 1,657

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

29.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 LKR 2,412

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

-39.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 LKR 2,212

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

85.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 278

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

-44.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 LKR 1,444

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

87.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 LKR 405

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

-39.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

-45.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 270

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

-65.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 307

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

-6.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 154

$0.52 Rp 9,373

-9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 LKR 3,432

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

375.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.56 LKR 4,487

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

-40.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 620

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

-22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 984

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

-0.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 60.7

$0.24 Rp 4,255

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.13 LKR 2,358

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

2.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.44 Rp 7,876

-13.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.42 Rp 7,582

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 313

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

-82.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 LKR 462

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

66.67%

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

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

53.06%

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

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

26.99%

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

$54.8 LKR 18.1K

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

-32.18%

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

$4.17 LKR 1,381

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

-36.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.98 LKR 6,941

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

15.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.81 LKR 4,568

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

-74.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.62 LKR 1,860

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

-69.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 LKR 1,439

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

2.59%

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

$37.68 LKR 12.5K

$486 Rp 8.7M

-92.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,201 LKR 397.2K

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

-78.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.01 LKR 5,958

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

-60.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.83 LKR 5,569

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

-51.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 LKR 25.9K

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

-1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.66 LKR 13.8K

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

-46.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 193.8K

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

-48.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 LKR 90.7K

$674 Rp 12.1M

-59.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 LKR 500.7K

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

-58.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 LKR 144.9K

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

-74.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,694 LKR 1.2M

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

30.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 LKR 386.8K

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

-49.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 LKR 85.1K

$166 Rp 3.0M

55.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

13.78

-7.91%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$274 34.1%

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6% 146% $400

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$238 29.6%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4% 22% $52

Eating Out

Colombo

$110 13.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 1.7% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$80 10%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 32.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$70 8.7%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 52.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$23 2.8%

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7% 183% $41

Getting Around

Colombo

$10 1.2%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8% 5.4% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $1,127 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colombo pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Colombo vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $290 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Ubud, Bali 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
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

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

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 55% higher in Colombo, 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: $586 in Colombo versus $1,127 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $796 in Colombo versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $796 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Colombo 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 Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.