Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $1,803 in Elgin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
Learn more

Elgin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,803

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,803 in Elgin versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Elgin $1,803
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,850 in Elgin versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Elgin $2,850
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,896 in Elgin versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Elgin $3,896
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Elgin is roughly 33% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elgin 33% above, Ubud, Bali 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.57 £16.19

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

567.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 £53.9

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

105.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 £7.69

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

79.82%

Cappuccino

$4.55 £3.41

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

73.66%

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

$1.97 £1.48

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 £0.97

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

66.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 £4.51

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

37.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-25.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

75.42%

Eggs

$3.84 £2.88

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

77.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 £6.91

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-47.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

145.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 £12.94

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

44.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

29.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 £2.48

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

73.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

7.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-31.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.22

$0.53 Rp 9,509

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.90 £17.93

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

943.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 £8.37

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-49.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 £2.51

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

42.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

12.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 £2.67

$0.23 Rp 4,112

1447.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 £91.3

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

1267.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 £4.27

$0.47 Rp 8,466

1110.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 £0.89

$0.43 Rp 7,737

174.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.07 £19.56

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

376.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.63

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

162.65%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

59.46%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

24.31%

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

$200 £150

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

150.01%

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

$20.02 £15.02

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

205.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.17 £30.14

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

115.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 £27.76

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-31.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.47 £4.10

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

-70.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 £8.32

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

160.94%

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

$937 £703

$493 Rp 8.9M

90.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

293.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.15 £27.12

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

-20.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 £34.06

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

29.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.8

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

36.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 £68.3

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 £681

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-19.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 £443

$673 Rp 12.1M

-12.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 £1,339

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-50.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 £900

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-29.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,068 £3,802

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

86.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,897

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

72.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,018 £1,514

$166 Rp 3.0M

1112.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

13.78

-65.24%

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

Last update for Elgin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elgin

$590 32.7%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 14.1% $83

Groceries & Markets

Elgin

$316 17.5%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 9.1% $29

Eating Out

Elgin

$305 16.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 65.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin

$260 14.4%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 59.6% $155

Getting Around

Elgin

$148 8.2%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 91.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin

$126 7%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 15.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin

$59 3.3%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 5.8% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $908 in Elgin and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elgin pays 1113% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $72.0 in Elgin vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $287 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Elgin

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

7 h ahead of Elgin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,040

74,800

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elgin Ubud, Bali 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin
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

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

Elgin and Ubud, Bali differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,803 vs $1,353 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1113% higher in Elgin, 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: $908 in Elgin versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 1267% less than in Elgin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $937 in Elgin versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,803 in Elgin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Elgin. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Elgin 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Elgin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.