Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuantan and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuantan: $839 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Kuantan
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Kuantan Living Index
67

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

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Kuantan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$839

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $839 per month in Kuantan vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Kuantan $839
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,219 per month in Kuantan vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Kuantan $1,219
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $1,599 per month in Kuantan vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Kuantan $1,599
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Kuantan is about 39% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kuantan sits 38% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 MYR 10.18

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

-25.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 MYR 48.96

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-65.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.63 MYR 14.83

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-37.41%

Cappuccino

$2.88 MYR 11.73

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

5.49%

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

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-56.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MYR 11.43

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 23.37

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

33.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.52

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-64.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.98

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

24.58%

Eggs

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-38.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 38.79

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-45.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.36

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

-18.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.04

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-63.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MYR 12.35

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-14.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.14

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-9.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.93

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-15.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 MYR 3.12

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

-23.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.53 Rp 9,475

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MYR 17.85

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

92.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.95 MYR 81.4

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-13.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-14.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MYR 7.81

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-34.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.24 Rp 4,315

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.15 MYR 49.55

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

37.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$0.48 Rp 8,684

135.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.45

$0.46 Rp 8,233

-23.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.05 MYR 36.92

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

66.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

-40.91%

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

$34.1K MYR 139.1K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

38.82%

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

$33.1K MYR 134.9K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

6.06%

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

$49.82 MYR 203

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-39.98%

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

$8.06 MYR 32.86

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

24.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

30.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.79 MYR 162

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-28.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.83 MYR 27.87

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-62.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MYR 18.98

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

6.16%

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

$280 MYR 1,142

$493 Rp 8.9M

-43.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K MYR 41.8K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

77.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 MYR 214

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

13.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 MYR 124

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-14.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.62 MYR 202

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-37.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.89 MYR 199

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-37.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 MYR 1,675

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-64.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 MYR 1,232

$676 Rp 12.2M

-55.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 MYR 2,822

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-80.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 MYR 1,943

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-71.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,015 MYR 8,220

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-27.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,090 MYR 4,448

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-51.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MYR 3,976

$165 Rp 3.0M

492.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.15

13.78

-69.88%

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

Last update for Kuantan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuantan

$302 36%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 124% $374

Groceries & Markets

Kuantan

$212 25.3%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 36.8% $78

Eating Out

Kuantan

$95 11.4%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 14% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuantan

$82 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 31.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Kuantan

$82 9.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 31.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Kuantan

$49 5.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 31.5% $15

Getting Around

Kuantan

$17 2%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 26.5% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $411 in Kuantan 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 492% higher in Kuantan, 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 $12.00 in Kuantan versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $290 – making Kuantan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuantan

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Kuantan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

548,014

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 18, 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 18, 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

Kuantan Ubud, Bali 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuantan
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

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

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,259 per month in Kuantan 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 Kuantan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Kuantan and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuantan, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Kuantan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuantan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kuantan. 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.