Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,299 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index
64

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

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Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,299 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Des Moines, IA $2,299
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Des Moines, IA $3,459
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,618 in Des Moines, IA versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Des Moines, IA $4,618
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Des Moines, IA is roughly 73% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Des Moines, IA is 70% above, Ubud, Bali is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 $19.89

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

488.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$34.65 Rp 629.1K

194.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$5.57 Rp 101.2K

111.85%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

149.62%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

92.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

285.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

89.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 $5.65

$4.26 Rp 77.4K

32.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

-41.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

31.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

191.89%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

84.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$15.94 Rp 289.4K

-41.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$3.88 Rp 70.5K

343.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$11.40 Rp 207.0K

65.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.55 Rp 64.5K

47.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-1.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

120.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

88.32%

Potato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

131.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-7.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

170.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.52 Rp 9,483

484.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

360.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 $14.81

$21.79 Rp 395.6K

-32.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

-27.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-1.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.25 Rp 4,546

584.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 $57.8

$8.17 Rp 148.4K

607.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.44 Rp 7,947

352.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.47 Rp 8,496

165.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 $19.83

$5.60 Rp 101.7K

254.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

21.69%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$24.4K Rp 443.8M

9.96%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

-19.38%

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

$191 $191

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

146.66%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$6.14 Rp 111.6K

761.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$18.92 Rp 343.4K

308.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.80 $33.80

$51.0 Rp 925.8K

-33.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 $20.24

$18.25 Rp 331.3K

10.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 $9.86

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

125.11%

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

$1,313 $1,313

$492 Rp 8.9M

166.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$12.2K Rp 221.9M

19.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 $77.0

$45.16 Rp 819.9K

70.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 $56.1

$34.89 Rp 633.4K

60.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

31.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 $166

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

112.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 $1,218

$1,078 Rp 19.6M

13.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 $918

$665 Rp 12.1M

38.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 $2,058

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

-41.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 $1,422

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

-14.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 $2,418

$2,340 Rp 42.5M

3.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,262 $2,262

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

1.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,788 $3,788

$166 Rp 3.0M

2177.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

13.78

-52.32%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Moines, IA

$918 40%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 27.6% $254

Groceries & Markets

Des Moines, IA

$421 18.3%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 33.6% $141

Eating Out

Des Moines, IA

$331 14.4%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 68.1% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Moines, IA

$321 14%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 68.1% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Des Moines, IA

$181 7.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 41.1% $74

Getting Around

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.2%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 83.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Des Moines, IA

$54 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 11.6% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,218 in Des Moines, IA and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays about 23 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Des Moines, IA vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $279 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

13:38 1:38 PM

03:38 3:38 AM

14 h ahead of Des Moines, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,133

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,438 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Des Moines, IA Ubud, Bali 15,350 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Moines, IA
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

Des Moines, IA vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Des Moines, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Des Moines, IA is about 23 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: $1,218 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35 versus $102 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,299 per month in Des Moines, IA versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Des Moines, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.