Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Embu and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Embu: $517 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Embu
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Embu Living Index
67

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

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Embu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $517 in Embu versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Embu $517
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $822 in Embu versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Embu $822
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,127 in Embu versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Embu $1,127
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Embu costs roughly 62% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Embu is 62% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.24 KES 809

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

87.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.87 KES 4,002

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-12.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 KES 702

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-6.55%

Cappuccino

$2.35 KES 305

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-13.92%

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

$0.36 KES 46.68

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-78.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 KES 31.13

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-15.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 KES 341

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-38.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 KES 72.9

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-62.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 KES 66.8

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-77.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 KES 124

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-18.64%

Eggs

$1.71 KES 222

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-20.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.89 KES 504

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-77.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 KES 416

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

-20.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.20 KES 544

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-65.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 KES 433

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-5.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 KES 136

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 KES 267

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-8.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 KES 53.0

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-78.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 KES 81.5

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-66.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 KES 118

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-60.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 KES 95.8

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

-25.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 KES 71.9

$0.53 Rp 9,475

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 KES 473

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

60.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 KES 1,489

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-50.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 KES 289

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-4.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 350

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-7.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 KES 148

$0.24 Rp 4,315

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 196

$0.48 Rp 8,684

214.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 KES 205

$0.46 Rp 8,233

243.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 382

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-46.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 207

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

81.82%

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

$21.2K KES 2.7M

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

-13.76%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-61.03%

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

$57.1 KES 7,400

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-31.24%

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

$15.06 KES 1,952

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

133.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,470

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

85.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.41 KES 2,257

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-68.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 KES 555

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

-2.28%

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

$251 KES 32.5K

$493 Rp 8.9M

-49.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K KES 1.6M

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

118.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.22 KES 1,196

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-80.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.38 KES 3,809

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-16.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 KES 9,113

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-11.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.37 KES 1,993

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-80.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.2 KES 9,876

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-93.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.1 KES 6,886

$676 Rp 12.2M

-92.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.6 KES 11.9K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-94.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$272 KES 35.3K

$165 Rp 3.0M

65.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

13.78

6.75%

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

Last update for Embu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Embu

$148 28.6%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 96.4% $143

Eating Out

Embu

$113 22%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 4.1% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Embu

$107 20.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 1.3% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Embu

$56 10.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 92.3% $52

Accommodation & Living

Embu

$53 10.3%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 1172% $623

Sport & Entertainment

Embu

$26 5%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 149% $39

Getting Around

Embu

$14 * 2.7%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 10.3% $1.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $76.2 in Embu and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Embu pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Embu vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $148 vs $290 per month, with Embu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Embu

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

01:23 1:23 AM

5 h ahead of Embu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,092

74,800

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 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 KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Embu Ubud, Bali 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Embu
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

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

Embu and Ubud, Bali differ by about 165% in total monthly costs ($517 vs $1,368 including rent). Embu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Embu, 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: $76.2 in Embu versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Embu versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Embu – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $517 in Embu versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Embu but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Embu 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, Embu 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 Embu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 165% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.