Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Houston, TX, United States
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Houston, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,625
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Houston, TX versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Houston, TX $2,625
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Houston, TX versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Houston, TX $3,794
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Houston, TX versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Houston, TX $4,963
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.40 $20.40
$3.32 Rp 59.9K
514.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.1 $75.1
$35.64 Rp 642.4K
110.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.82 $9.82
$5.53 Rp 99.7K
77.58%
Cappuccino
$5.24 $5.24
$2.72 Rp 49.0K
92.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 $2.72
$1.70 Rp 30.7K
60.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$0.76 Rp 13.7K
196.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.17 $6.17
$2.65 Rp 47.8K
132.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.95 $7.95
$4.38 Rp 79.0K
81.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.84 $0.84
$1.49 Rp 26.9K
-43.62%
White Bread (500g)
$3.24 $3.24
$2.28 Rp 41.0K
42.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.10 $4.10
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
244.54%
Eggs
$3.25 $3.25
$2.04 Rp 36.7K
59.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.11 $11.11
$17.70 Rp 319.1K
-37.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.65 $12.65
$3.96 Rp 71.4K
219.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.40 $16.40
$12.19 Rp 219.7K
34.54%
Apples (1kg)
$4.12 $4.12
$3.66 Rp 65.9K
12.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 $1.47
$1.52 Rp 27.4K
-3.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 $3.05
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
36.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.67 $3.67
$1.97 Rp 35.6K
86.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.19 $2.19
$1.85 Rp 33.3K
18.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.71 $2.71
$2.42 Rp 43.7K
11.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 $1.95
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
96.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.51 Rp 9,255
390.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.09 $10.09
$2.22 Rp 40.0K
354.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.47 $14.47
$22.24 Rp 400.9K
-34.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 $2.48
$2.26 Rp 40.7K
9.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 $2.91
$2.97 Rp 53.5K
-2.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.26 $1.26
$0.25 Rp 4,525
404.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.4 $74.4
$7.82 Rp 141.0K
851.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.85 $2.85
$0.44 Rp 7,923
547.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 $1.48
$0.43 Rp 7,753
244.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.92 $23.92
$5.41 Rp 97.5K
342.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 $0.97
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
18.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K $34.4K
$23.8K Rp 429.7M
44.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K $26.4K
$31.7K Rp 572.3M
-16.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$198 $198
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
150.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$65.2 $65.2
$6.45 Rp 116.2K
910.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$75.3 $75.3
$18.58 Rp 334.9K
305.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.73 $35.73
$49.48 Rp 892.0K
-27.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.98 $20.98
$17.65 Rp 318.1K
18.87%
Cinema Ticket
$15.06 $15.06
$4.27 Rp 77.0K
252.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,901 $1,901
$491 Rp 8.8M
287.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.1K $22.1K
$5,674 Rp 102.3M
290.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.81 $49.81
$44.64 Rp 804.7K
11.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.04 $47.04
$34.95 Rp 630.1K
34.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 $103
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
29.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.0 $94.0
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
18.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,742 $1,742
$1,125 Rp 20.3M
54.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,304 $1,304
$671 Rp 12.1M
94.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,449 $3,449
$3,565 Rp 64.3M
-3.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 $2,057
$1,723 Rp 31.1M
19.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,659 $2,659
$2,732 Rp 49.2M
-2.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,785 $1,785
$2,284 Rp 41.2M
-21.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Houston, TX
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,293 $4,293
$164 Rp 3.0M
2520.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.7
13.78
-51.38%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: 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
Houston, TX
$1.3K
Ubud, Bali
$672 48.5% $632
Groceries & Markets
Houston, TX
$373
Ubud, Bali
$288 22.6% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Houston, TX
$338
Ubud, Bali
$104 69.2% $234
Eating Out
Houston, TX
$322
Ubud, Bali
$108 66.6% $214
Clothing & Footwear
Houston, TX
$132
Ubud, Bali
$108 18.8% $25
Getting Around
Houston, TX
$90
Ubud, Bali
$11 87.3% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Houston, TX
$66
Ubud, Bali
$58 11.9% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,742 in Houston, TX and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays about 26 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Houston, TX vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Houston, TX
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
06:07 6:07 AM
19:07 7:07 PM
13 h ahead of Houston, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,304,580
74,800
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Houston, TX Ubud, Bali 16,050 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Houston, TX
  • 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
Houston, TX vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Houston, TX or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Houston, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Houston, TX or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay in Houston, TX is about 26 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Houston, TX compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,742 in Houston, TX versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Houston, TX or in Ubud, Bali?
Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Houston, TX and in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Houston, TX or in Ubud, Bali?
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.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Houston, TX or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,349 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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