Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forster and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,595 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index
64

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

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Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,595 in Forster versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Forster $2,595
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,737 in Forster versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Forster $3,737
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,879 in Forster versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Forster $4,879
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Forster is roughly 95% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Forster is 92% above, Ubud, Bali is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 A$25.36

$3.38 Rp 60.9K

420.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 A$133

$34.65 Rp 625.4K

165.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.38

$5.57 Rp 100.6K

91.38%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.63

$2.62 Rp 47.3K

48.85%

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

$2.82 A$4.07

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

83.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.21

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

246.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 A$9.91

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

157.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$7.86

$4.26 Rp 76.9K

27.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 A$2.37

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

12.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 A$4.20

$2.29 Rp 41.4K

27.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.43

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

114.41%

Eggs

$5.62 A$8.11

$2.10 Rp 37.9K

167.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 A$17.32

$15.94 Rp 287.7K

-24.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 A$13.54

$3.88 Rp 70.1K

141.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 A$24.35

$11.40 Rp 205.8K

48.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.63

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

9.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.48

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

101.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.91

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

52.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.09

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

114.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.68

$1.86 Rp 33.5K

74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.58

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 A$3.43

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.75

$0.52 Rp 9,427

132.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.92 A$64.8

$2.20 Rp 39.7K

1941.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 A$20.27

$21.79 Rp 393.2K

-35.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 A$5.72

$2.33 Rp 42.0K

69.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.88

$2.97 Rp 53.6K

37.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.08

$0.25 Rp 4,519

1032.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.7 A$122

$8.17 Rp 147.5K

936.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 A$5.04

$0.44 Rp 7,901

695.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.37

$0.47 Rp 8,446

251.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.37 A$58.2

$5.60 Rp 101.1K

620.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.17

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

81.93%

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

$30.0K A$43.2K

$24.4K Rp 441.3M

22.61%

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

$27.9K A$40.2K

$31.7K Rp 572.1M

-11.98%

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

$252 A$364

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

225.79%

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

$27.69 A$39.94

$6.14 Rp 110.9K

350.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$81.6

$18.92 Rp 341.4K

198.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 A$82.2

$51.0 Rp 920.4K

11.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 A$25.14

$18.25 Rp 329.4K

-4.49%

Cinema Ticket

$17.45 A$25.17

$4.38 Rp 79.1K

298.40%

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

$2,354 A$3,395

$492 Rp 8.9M

378.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K A$40.2K

$12.2K Rp 220.6M

128.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 A$116

$45.16 Rp 815.1K

77.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$34.89 Rp 629.7K

104.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$164

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

44.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

67.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$2,006

$1,078 Rp 19.4M

29.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 A$1,756

$665 Rp 12.0M

83.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 A$3,299

$3,510 Rp 63.4M

-34.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 A$2,588

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

7.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,826 A$8,405

$2,340 Rp 42.2M

148.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,884 A$7,044

$2,236 Rp 40.4M

118.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

13.78

-57.04%

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

Last update for Forster: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forster

$1.2K 46.9%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 45.4% $552

Groceries & Markets

Forster

$379 14.6%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 26.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forster

$337 13%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 69.5% $234

Eating Out

Forster

$285 11%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 62.9% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Forster

$178 6.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 40.2% $72

Getting Around

Forster

$108 4.2%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 88.9% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Forster

$92 3.5%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 35% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Forster and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $92 in Forster vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $279 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forster

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

3 h behind Forster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,554

74,800

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Forster Ubud, Bali 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Forster
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,595 in Forster and $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, so Ubud, Bali is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,893 in Forster and $1,996 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: $1,391 in Forster versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,354 in Forster versus $492 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Forster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Forster 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 49% less than in Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.