Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Terengganu and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $924 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kuala Terengganu
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$924
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $924 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Kuala Terengganu $924
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,372 in Kuala Terengganu versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Kuala Terengganu $1,372
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,821 in Kuala Terengganu versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Kuala Terengganu $1,821
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Kuala Terengganu 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: Kuala Terengganu is 32% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.49 MYR 10.15
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
-25.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.06 MYR 94.1
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
-34.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.72 MYR 19.25
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
-18.62%
Cappuccino
$2.72 MYR 11.08
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-0.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 MYR 1.90
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-71.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 MYR 1.14
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-66.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.56 MYR 14.52
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
31.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 MYR 17.05
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-2.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MYR 6.94
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
13.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 MYR 4.15
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-55.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 MYR 5.22
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
8.47%
Eggs
$2.13 MYR 8.68
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
-0.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.66 MYR 63.9
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-10.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.35 MYR 17.73
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
7.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.41 MYR 34.29
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-31.23%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 MYR 13.73
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-5.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 MYR 6.59
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
2.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 MYR 8.59
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-6.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 MYR 6.13
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
-22.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 MYR 6.01
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-21.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 MYR 4.45
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-52.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 MYR 4.09
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
1.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 MYR 2.17
$0.53 Rp 9,475
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.46 MYR 18.18
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
95.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.84 MYR 72.8
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-22.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.92 MYR 11.91
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
24.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.82 MYR 19.66
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
65.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 MYR 2.75
$0.24 Rp 4,315
179.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.62 MYR 43.31
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
20.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 MYR 5.20
$0.48 Rp 8,684
164.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 MYR 1.89
$0.46 Rp 8,233
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.55 MYR 26.73
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
20.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.90 MYR 3.65
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
2.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.8K MYR 178.8K
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
78.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K MYR 131.0K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
2.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.25 MYR 185
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
-45.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.79 MYR 35.87
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
36.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.10 MYR 102
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
35.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.04 MYR 180
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-21.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.97 MYR 32.49
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-55.99%
Cinema Ticket
$4.81 MYR 19.61
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
9.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$172 MYR 701
$493 Rp 8.9M
-65.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,936 MYR 28.3K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
20.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 MYR 235
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
24.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.37 MYR 148
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
2.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.5 MYR 353
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
9.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.0 MYR 278
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
-13.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$361 MYR 1,472
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-68.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$312 MYR 1,275
$676 Rp 12.2M
-53.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$722 MYR 2,946
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-79.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$471 MYR 1,923
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-72.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,073 MYR 8,456
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-25.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,145 MYR 4,669
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-48.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kuala Terengganu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$165 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
13.78
-70.54%

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

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: 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
Kuala Terengganu
$312
Ubud, Bali
$676 116% $363
Groceries & Markets
Kuala Terengganu
$254
Ubud, Bali
$290 14.3% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Kuala Terengganu
$112
Ubud, Bali
$108 3.8% $4.2
Eating Out
Kuala Terengganu
$96
Ubud, Bali
$109 13.6% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuala Terengganu
$79
Ubud, Bali
$108 36.5% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Kuala Terengganu
$54
Ubud, Bali
$65 20.4% $11
Getting Around
Kuala Terengganu
$17
Ubud, Bali
$13 25.8% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $361 in Kuala Terengganu and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $290 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
09:46 9:46 AM
09:46 9:46 AM
Same time as Kuala Terengganu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
375,424
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kuala Terengganu Ubud, Bali 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kuala Terengganu
  • 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
Kuala Terengganu vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Kuala Terengganu and in Ubud, Bali?
Kuala Terengganu and Ubud, Bali differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($924 vs $1,368 including rent). Kuala Terengganu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Kuala Terengganu compared to Ubud, Bali?
You'd need roughly $1,386 in Kuala Terengganu and $2,051 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 Kuala Terengganu and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $361 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Kuala Terengganu or Ubud, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $924 per month in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Kuala Terengganu and in Ubud, Bali?
A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 20% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $924 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Kuala Terengganu 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: Kuala Terengganu or Ubud, Bali?
Expats usually find Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% 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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