Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
65

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

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Iowa City, IA $2,251
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,264 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Iowa City, IA $3,264
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Iowa City, IA versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Iowa City, IA $4,276
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Iowa City, IA is roughly 67% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

355.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

88.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

63.29%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

103.68%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

62.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

193.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

83.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

62.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-38.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

22.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

69.75%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

81.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 $9.43

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

-46.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 $10.64

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

168.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.95 $19.95

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

63.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

-19.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

18.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

147.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

72.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.51 Rp 9,316

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

356.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

-38.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

52.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,555

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$0.44 Rp 7,975

788.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.43 Rp 7,804

358.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.67 $43.67

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

707.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

20.73%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

14.00%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

-18.80%

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

$271 $271

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

243.35%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

697.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 $81.6

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

339.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.80 $29.80

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

-39.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 $19.65

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

11.33%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 $13.86

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

224.59%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$491 Rp 8.9M

163.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

318.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 $49.68

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

42.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

44.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$671 Rp 12.2M

49.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-4.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,514 $3,514

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

28.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 $1,811

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

-20.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 $3,822

$164 Rp 3.0M

2232.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

13.78

-53.19%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 33% $331

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$404 18%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 74.3% $300

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 18% $63

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 60.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 27.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 0.9% $0.5

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 17% $2.3

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 $1,242 in Iowa City, IA and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays about 23 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Iowa City, IA vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

05:43 5:43 AM

14 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,337 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

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Iowa City, IA Ubud, Bali 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
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

Iowa City, IA vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Iowa City, IA is about 23 times higher, 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: $1,242 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,292 in Iowa City, IA versus $491 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 Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Iowa City, IA and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Iowa City, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.