Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
65

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

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Forbes versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Forbes $2,543
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,751 in Forbes versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Forbes $3,751
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,958 in Forbes versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Forbes $4,958
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Forbes is roughly 89% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.54

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

379.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$134

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

166.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.02

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

104.52%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$4.99

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

29.41%

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

$2.99 A$4.23

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

75.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.36

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

211.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.89

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

163.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.49

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

68.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.40

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

13.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.43

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

6.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.03

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

79.83%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.08

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

145.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.40

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

-42.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.49

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

140.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.43

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

12.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.35

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.26

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

98.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.04

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

59.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.97

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

149.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.54

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

5.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.23

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

130.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$0.51 Rp 9,336

184.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$65.8

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

1991.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.51

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

-44.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.73

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

110.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.21

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

95.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.76

$0.25 Rp 4,564

964.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

903.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.25

$0.44 Rp 7,992

740.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.44

$0.43 Rp 7,821

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.7

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

744.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

52.44%

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

$33.8K A$47.9K

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

41.86%

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

$28.1K A$39.9K

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

-11.34%

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

$195 A$276

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

146.52%

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

$23.66 A$33.52

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

266.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.6

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

187.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$83.7

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

19.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$27.93

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

11.73%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.07

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

182.20%

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

$2,301 A$3,259

$491 Rp 8.9M

368.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.2K

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

276.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$114

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

80.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.4

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

62.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$165

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

45.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$175

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

55.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,207

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

38.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,810

$671 Rp 12.2M

90.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,488

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-30.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,892

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

18.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,405

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

91.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,290

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

125.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

13.78

-57.18%

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

Last update for Forbes: 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

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 47.4% $606

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 20.7% $75

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 60.8% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 61.7% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 36.8% $62

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 88.7% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 30.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Forbes and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Forbes vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

3 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

74,800

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,242 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Forbes Ubud, Bali 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,543 in Forbes and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, so Ubud, Bali is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,814 in Forbes and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,558 in Forbes versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,543 per month in Forbes versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 90% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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, Forbes 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 47% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.