Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, MD and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $3,317 in Columbia, MD, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, MD
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Columbia, MD Living Index
65

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

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Columbia, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,317 per month in Columbia, MD vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Columbia, MD $3,317
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $4,625 per month in Columbia, MD vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Columbia, MD $4,625
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $5,932 per month in Columbia, MD vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Columbia, MD $5,932
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Columbia, MD costs about 146% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 $18.15

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

446.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.5 $97.5

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

173.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

114.65%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

98.90%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

88.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

238.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.37 $7.37

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

178.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.19 $10.19

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

132.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-14.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

255.46%

Eggs

$5.31 $5.31

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

160.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.58 $16.58

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

318.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 $18.77

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

53.98%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

93.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

154.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

196.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

50.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

54.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

142.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.51 Rp 9,332

435.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.70 $13.70

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

517.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.85 $15.85

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-28.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

16.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.25 Rp 4,562

712.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.30 $40.30

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

415.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.44 Rp 7,989

302.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$0.43 Rp 7,817

213.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 $23.68

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

337.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

30.49%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

39.52%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-16.90%

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

$211 $211

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

167.34%

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

$66.9 $66.9

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

936.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.1 $77.1

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

314.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 $50.4

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

1.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

12.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

249.41%

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

$2,007 $2,007

$491 Rp 8.9M

309.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.7K $34.7K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

511.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

17.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 $62.9

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

79.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

25.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

41.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 $2,099

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

86.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 $1,874

$671 Rp 12.2M

179.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,987 $2,987

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-16.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

53.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,316 $2,316

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-15.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,340 $2,340

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

2.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,801 $5,801

$164 Rp 3.0M

3440.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

13.78

-51.89%

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

Last update for Columbia, MD: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, MD

$1.9K 56.5%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 64.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, MD

$477 14.4%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 39.5% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, MD

$355 10.7%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 70.7% $251

Eating Out

Columbia, MD

$326 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 67% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, MD

$148 4.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 27.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, MD

$80 2.4%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 27.7% $22

Getting Around

Columbia, MD

$57 1.7%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 79.9% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,099 in Columbia, MD versus $1,125 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 in Columbia, MD are about 35 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97 in Columbia, MD versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $288 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, MD

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

20:43 8:43 PM

12 h ahead of Columbia, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,228 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, MD Ubud, Bali 16,390 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, MD
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

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

Columbia, MD costs about 146% 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 $4,976 per month in Columbia, MD and $2,023 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,125 there versus $2,099 in Columbia, MD.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Columbia, MD, 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 $97 in Columbia, MD and $36 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,317 in Columbia, MD and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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