Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkwall and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index
66

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

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Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,121 in Kirkwall versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Kirkwall $2,121
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,026 in Kirkwall versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Kirkwall $3,026
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Kirkwall versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Kirkwall $3,931
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Kirkwall is roughly 57% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kirkwall 57% above, Ubud, Bali 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.63 £17.73

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

631.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 £71.1

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

171.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.93

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

85.44%

Cappuccino

$3.92 £2.94

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

49.62%

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

$3.26 £2.44

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

89.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 £0.98

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

61.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 £4.65

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

133.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 £6.36

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

93.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 £0.59

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-49.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-27.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

73.73%

Eggs

$3.22 £2.42

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

49.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 £4.95

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-62.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.73

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

137.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 £11.92

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

33.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-38.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

-32.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

-30.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 £0.83

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

-37.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 £0.82

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-53.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 £0.58

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

-23.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$0.53 Rp 9,509

103.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.10 £15.08

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

777.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 £6.89

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-58.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

15.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-3.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$10.51 £7.89

$0.23 Rp 4,112

4469.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.4

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

1104.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 £3.90

$0.47 Rp 8,466

1004.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.93

$0.43 Rp 7,737

500.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

394.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

146.99%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

58.52%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

25.53%

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

$282 £212

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

253.12%

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

$30.12 £22.60

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

359.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.04 £24.79

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

77.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 £31.31

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-22.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 £8.60

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

169.65%

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

$1,237 £928

$493 Rp 8.9M

151.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 £68.7

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

100.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.72 £32.80

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.3

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

22.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 £103

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

75.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 £701

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-17.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 £594

$673 Rp 12.1M

17.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 £887

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-67.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 £725

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-43.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,914 £1,436

$166 Rp 3.0M

1050.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

13.78

-63.21%

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

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kirkwall

$792 37.3%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 15% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kirkwall

$346 16.3%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 69.6% $240

Eating Out

Kirkwall

$334 15.8%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 68.1% $228

Groceries & Markets

Kirkwall

$252 11.9%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 13.9% $35

Getting Around

Kirkwall

$167 7.9%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 92.6% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Kirkwall

$165 7.8%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 35.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Kirkwall

$65 3.1%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 3.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $935 in Kirkwall and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kirkwall pays 1050% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $95.0 in Kirkwall vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $287, with Kirkwall cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

01:49 1:49 AM

7 h ahead of Kirkwall

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

74,800

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kirkwall Ubud, Bali 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kirkwall
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

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

Kirkwall and Ubud, Bali differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,121 vs $1,353 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1050% higher in Kirkwall, 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: $935 in Kirkwall versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,121 per month in Kirkwall versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,121 in Kirkwall, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Kirkwall. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Kirkwall and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Kirkwall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.