Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lanta and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lanta: $926 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Koh Lanta
🇹🇭 Thailand
$926
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $926 in Koh Lanta versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Koh Lanta $926
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Koh Lanta versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Koh Lanta $1,533
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,140 in Koh Lanta versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Koh Lanta $2,140
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Koh Lanta costs roughly 32% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Lanta is 32% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.69 ฿123
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
14.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.60 ฿856
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
-26.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.84 ฿229
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
20.00%
Cappuccino
$2.17 ฿72.4
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
-17.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 ฿23.88
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-58.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿13.07
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
-51.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.05 ฿68.5
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
-22.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 ฿101
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-31.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.70
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-5.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 ฿42.06
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-42.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 ฿47.40
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
20.34%
Eggs
$1.90 ฿63.3
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
-12.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.56 ฿587
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-0.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.01 ฿101
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
-20.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.02 ฿335
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
-16.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.69 ฿89.9
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
-25.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.3
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
-3.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.01 ฿67.2
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
-12.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 ฿64.4
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
1.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.31 ฿43.84
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
-26.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 ฿40.12
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-48.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 ฿32.05
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
-4.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.52
$0.53 Rp 9,509
-13.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 ฿129
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
69.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.97 ฿567
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-23.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 ฿52.5
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-33.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 ฿87.3
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-12.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$0.23 Rp 4,112
656.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.44 ฿81.5
$0.47 Rp 8,466
419.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 ฿29.02
$0.43 Rp 7,737
102.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 ฿100
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
-45.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ฿39.53
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
42.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿703.8K
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
-11.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K ฿723.6K
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-33.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.0 ฿3,073
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
14.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.61 ฿355
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
61.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.26 ฿543
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
-12.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.01 ฿1,504
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-16.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.18 ฿307
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-49.78%
Cinema Ticket
$6.36 ฿213
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
49.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$505 ฿16.9K
$493 Rp 8.9M
2.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ฿350.0K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
87.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.3 ฿2,016
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
32.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.86 ฿898
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
-23.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.5 ฿3,025
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
16.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.6 ฿2,795
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
6.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$440 ฿14.7K
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-61.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$280 ฿9,358
$673 Rp 12.1M
-58.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 ฿42.1K
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-65.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$733 ฿24.5K
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-56.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,074 ฿69.3K
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-23.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,493 ฿49.9K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-33.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Lanta
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
13.78
-59.58%

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

Last update for Koh Lanta: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Koh Lanta
$280
Ubud, Bali
$673 140% $393
Groceries & Markets
Koh Lanta
$242
Ubud, Bali
$287 18.9% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Lanta
$119
Ubud, Bali
$105 11.5% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Koh Lanta
$118
Ubud, Bali
$107 9.4% $11
Eating Out
Koh Lanta
$97
Ubud, Bali
$106 10.1% $9.8
Sport & Entertainment
Koh Lanta
$58
Ubud, Bali
$63 8.5% $4.9
Getting Around
Koh Lanta
$14 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 9.6% $1.3

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 $440 in Koh Lanta and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Koh Lanta vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $287 per month, with Koh Lanta cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Koh Lanta
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
17:52 5:52 PM
18:52 6:52 PM
1 h ahead of Koh Lanta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
32,000
74,800
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Koh Lanta Ubud, Bali 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Koh Lanta
  • 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
Koh Lanta vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Koh Lanta and in Ubud, Bali?
Koh Lanta and Ubud, Bali differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($926 vs $1,353 including rent). Koh Lanta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Koh Lanta compared to Ubud, Bali?
You'd need roughly $1,389 in Koh Lanta and $2,030 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Koh Lanta and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $440 in Koh Lanta versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Koh Lanta and Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $505 in Koh Lanta versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lanta – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $926 in Koh Lanta versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Lanta but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Lanta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Koh Lanta and Ubud, Bali?
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.
Is Koh Lanta or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Koh Lanta 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.
Where should expats move: Koh Lanta or Ubud, Bali?
Expats usually find Koh Lanta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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