Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipoh and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipoh: $922 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Ipoh
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Ipoh Living Index
67

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

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Ipoh

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $922 per month in Ipoh vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Ipoh $922
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,372 per month in Ipoh vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Ipoh $1,372
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $1,821 per month in Ipoh vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Ipoh $1,821
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Ipoh is about 33% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ipoh sits 32% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.26 MYR 13.29

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

-2.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.29 MYR 78.7

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-45.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-22.24%

Cappuccino

$2.80 MYR 11.41

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

2.56%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-57.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MYR 1.81

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-46.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 MYR 17.70

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

60.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.42

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

5.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 MYR 8.05

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.29

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-54.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.56

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

15.25%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 9.03

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

3.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.7

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-21.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.62

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

13.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 MYR 31.16

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-37.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 MYR 12.27

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-15.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.05

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-0.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MYR 6.34

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-19.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.22

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.48

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-41.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.62

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.53 Rp 9,475

-15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.63

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.98 MYR 69.3

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 14.22

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

48.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 MYR 18.64

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

57.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MYR 2.54

$0.24 Rp 4,315

158.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.56 MYR 47.14

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

31.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.07

$0.48 Rp 8,684

158.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.04

$0.46 Rp 8,233

167.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 MYR 20.56

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-7.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

-40.91%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.7K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

68.28%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

11.13%

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

$61.9 MYR 253

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-25.38%

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

$8.92 MYR 36.37

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

38.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

41.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.16 MYR 164

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-28.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 MYR 28.26

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-61.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 MYR 13.59

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

-23.97%

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

$305 MYR 1,242

$493 Rp 8.9M

-38.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.2K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

130.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MYR 251

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

33.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.00 MYR 147

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

1.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 MYR 252

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-21.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.0 MYR 253

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-20.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 MYR 1,635

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-64.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 MYR 1,217

$676 Rp 12.2M

-55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 MYR 2,770

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-80.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MYR 2,001

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-71.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,059 MYR 8,400

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-26.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,093 MYR 4,458

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-51.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$973 MYR 3,968

$165 Rp 3.0M

491.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.99

13.78

-71.04%

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

Last update for Ipoh: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipoh

$298 32.4%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 127% $377

Groceries & Markets

Ipoh

$250 27.2%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 15.9% $40

Eating Out

Ipoh

$108 11.8%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 0.3% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ipoh

$100 10.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 8% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipoh

$97 10.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 11.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ipoh

$47 5.1%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 37.9% $18

Getting Around

Ipoh

$21 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 41.5% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Ipoh 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 491% higher in Ipoh, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Ipoh versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $290 – making Ipoh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Ipoh

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

Same time as Ipoh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

759,952

74,800

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ipoh Ubud, Bali 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ipoh
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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 48% more than Ipoh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,383 per month in Ipoh 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 Ipoh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Ipoh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $305 per month in Ipoh 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 Ipoh, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Ipoh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ipoh costs $922 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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