Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,098 in Koh Lipe, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Koh Lipe
🇹🇭 Thailand
$2,098
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,098 in Koh Lipe versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Koh Lipe $2,098
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,592 in Koh Lipe versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Koh Lipe $3,592
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,086 in Koh Lipe versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Koh Lipe $5,086
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Koh Lipe is roughly 55% 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: Koh Lipe 55% above, Ubud, Bali 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.97 ฿233
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
115.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.3 ฿1,748
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
49.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.86 ฿463
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
143.16%
Cappuccino
$4.54 ฿152
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
73.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 ฿50.5
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-12.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ฿24.70
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
-8.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.97 ฿133
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
49.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.11 ฿204
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
39.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿71.6
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
36.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 ฿59.3
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-19.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 ฿63.0
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
59.32%
Eggs
$2.73 ฿91.4
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
26.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.27 ฿811
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
37.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.17 ฿139
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
10.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.98 ฿467
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
16.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.74 ฿125
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
3.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.10 ฿70.1
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
32.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
20.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.62 ฿87.5
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
37.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 ฿61.1
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
2.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 ฿55.9
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-28.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 ฿46.28
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
38.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 ฿22.89
$0.53 Rp 9,509
28.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.52 ฿185
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
141.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.90 ฿765
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
3.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.19 ฿73.3
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-6.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 ฿120
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
20.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.44 ฿115
$0.23 Rp 4,112
1395.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ฿149
$0.47 Rp 8,466
848.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 ฿53.1
$0.43 Rp 7,737
269.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.83 ฿195
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
6.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 ฿74.0
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
166.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.4K ฿1.3M
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
69.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K ฿1.3M
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
22.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 ฿3,773
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
41.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.73 ฿425
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
94.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.03 ฿669
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
7.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.6 ฿2,225
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
23.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.60 ฿454
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-25.60%
Cinema Ticket
$9.45 ฿316
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
122.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$696 ฿23.3K
$493 Rp 8.9M
41.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.5K ฿483.5K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
158.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.4 ฿2,253
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
47.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.63 ฿990
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
-15.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 ฿3,424
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
31.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.5 ฿3,090
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
17.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Lipe
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,835 ฿61.3K
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
62.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,181 ฿39.5K
$673 Rp 12.1M
75.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,300 ฿177.1K
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
46.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,000 ฿100.3K
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
76.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,628 ฿288.3K
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
217.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,214 ฿207.7K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
177.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Lipe
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 Lipe: 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
Koh Lipe
$1.2K
Ubud, Bali
$673 43% $508
Groceries & Markets
Koh Lipe
$335
Ubud, Bali
$287 14.4% $48
Eating Out
Koh Lipe
$193
Ubud, Bali
$106 44.8% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Lipe
$146
Ubud, Bali
$105 27.8% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Koh Lipe
$131
Ubud, Bali
$107 18.9% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Koh Lipe
$85
Ubud, Bali
$63 26.7% $23
Getting Around
Koh Lipe
$26 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 52.5% $14

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 $1,835 in Koh Lipe and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Koh Lipe vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $287 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Koh Lipe
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
18:39 6:39 PM
19:39 7:39 PM
1 h ahead of Koh Lipe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
800
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 Lipe Ubud, Bali 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Koh Lipe
  • 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 Lipe vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Koh Lipe or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Koh Lipe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Koh Lipe and in Ubud, Bali?
You'd need roughly $3,147 in Koh Lipe 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 much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Koh Lipe compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,835 in Koh Lipe versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Koh Lipe and in Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $696 in Koh Lipe versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Koh Lipe and in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $52.0 in Koh Lipe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Koh Lipe or in Ubud, Bali?
At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,098 in Koh Lipe, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Koh Lipe. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Koh Lipe or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,353 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How safe is Koh Lipe compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Koh Lipe 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Koh Lipe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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