Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essen and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,982 in Essen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index
67

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

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Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,982

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,982 per month in Essen vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Essen $1,982
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $3,088 per month in Essen vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Essen $3,088
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $4,195 per month in Essen vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Essen $4,195
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Essen costs about 45% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Essen and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Essen by 47%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.00 €17.79

$3.33 Rp 59.8K

500.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.4

$35.18 Rp 631.2K

150.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$5.80 Rp 104.1K

130.69%

Cappuccino

$3.88 €3.45

$2.73 Rp 49.0K

42.12%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

90.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

215.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 €5.42

$2.70 Rp 48.4K

125.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.11

$4.30 Rp 77.1K

33.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

-19.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.30 Rp 41.2K

-5.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

187.29%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.27

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

71.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.14 €14.36

$17.48 Rp 313.6K

-7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 €9.34

$4.03 Rp 72.3K

160.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.76 €22.02

$12.23 Rp 219.4K

102.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €2.99

$3.55 Rp 63.7K

-5.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.24 Rp 40.1K

0.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.93 Rp 34.6K

102.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

-30.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

-44.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.53 Rp 9,445

126.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 €8.45

$2.28 Rp 41.0K

317.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.60 €4.98

$23.01 Rp 412.9K

-75.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.34 Rp 42.0K

-53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.91 Rp 52.2K

-48.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 €3.64

$0.24 Rp 4,301

1604.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 €58.4

$8.82 Rp 158.2K

643.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 €4.38

$0.48 Rp 8,657

927.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.49 €3.10

$0.46 Rp 8,207

658.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.38 €35.02

$5.45 Rp 97.9K

622.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

148.86%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$24.6K Rp 440.8M

31.09%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$31.2K Rp 559.6M

22.99%

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

$386 €344

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

365.43%

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

$38.73 €34.45

$6.45 Rp 115.7K

500.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.40 €35.93

$18.57 Rp 333.1K

117.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.94 €36.41

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-26.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.05 €32.06

$18.11 Rp 324.9K

99.06%

Cinema Ticket

$15.31 €13.62

$4.38 Rp 78.6K

249.54%

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

$459 €408

$493 Rp 8.8M

-6.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,430 €8,387

$5,754 Rp 103.2M

63.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.6 €85.9

$46.19 Rp 828.8K

109.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.1 €73.1

$35.33 Rp 634.0K

132.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.6

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

38.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 €139

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

99.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$637 €567

$1,142 Rp 20.5M

-44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 €433

$676 Rp 12.1M

-27.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 €1,249

$3,503 Rp 62.9M

-59.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 €862

$1,700 Rp 30.5M

-42.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,704 €4,184

$2,784 Rp 50.0M

68.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 €2,708

$2,241 Rp 40.2M

35.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,999 €2,668

$165 Rp 3.0M

1722.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

13.78

-71.34%

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

Last update for Essen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essen

$487 24.6%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 38.8% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essen

$465 23.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 76.8% $357

Groceries & Markets

Essen

$342 17.3%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 15.1% $52

Eating Out

Essen

$312 15.7%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 65.1% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Essen

$200 10.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 46.2% $92

Getting Around

Essen

$104 5.3%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 88% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Essen

$72 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 9.8% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $637 in Essen versus $1,142 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 run about 1723% higher in Essen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Essen versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $290 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Essen

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

6 h ahead of Essen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

569,884

74,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,174 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Essen Ubud, Bali 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Essen
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,982 in Essen, $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,972 per month in Essen and $2,051 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 644% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $459 per month in Essen and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Essen at $1,982. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Essen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,368 in Ubud, Bali to $1,982 in Essen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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