Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurunegala and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $479 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kurunegala
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$479
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $479 in Kurunegala versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Kurunegala $479
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $780 in Kurunegala versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Kurunegala $780
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,081 in Kurunegala versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Kurunegala $1,081
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Kurunegala costs roughly 65% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kurunegala is 65% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.78 LKR 589
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
-44.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.99 LKR 8,277
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
-28.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.41 LKR 1,461
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
-22.63%
Cappuccino
$2.58 LKR 853
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
-1.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKR 143
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-75.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 LKR 90.0
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
-66.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.24 LKR 741
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
-15.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 LKR 1,006
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-30.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 LKR 488
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-6.37%
White Bread (500g)
$0.47 LKR 154
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-78.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 LKR 254
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-34.75%
Eggs
$1.72 LKR 570
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
-20.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.01 LKR 4,641
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-20.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.93 LKR 1,634
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
30.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.40 LKR 2,452
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
-38.08%
Apples (1kg)
$6.51 LKR 2,157
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
80.83%
Banana (1kg)
$0.87 LKR 287
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
-45.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.51 LKR 1,493
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
95.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 LKR 437
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
-30.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 LKR 342
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
-42.13%
Onion (1kg)
$0.77 LKR 255
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-66.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 LKR 311
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
-6.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 LKR 139
$0.53 Rp 9,509
-20.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.40 LKR 3,446
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
354.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.73 LKR 4,217
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-42.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 LKR 644
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-17.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 LKR 972
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-1.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.23 Rp 4,112
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 LKR 134
$0.47 Rp 8,466
-14.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 LKR 104
$0.43 Rp 7,737
-27.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 LKR 307
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
-83.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 LKR 346
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
25.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.0K LKR 14.6M
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
84.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K LKR 13.4M
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
22.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.2 LKR 19.6K
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
-25.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.32 LKR 1,432
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
-34.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.93 LKR 6,932
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
12.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.42 LKR 1,465
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
4.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.41 LKR 12.4K
$493 Rp 8.9M
-92.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,204 LKR 398.7K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
-78.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.13 LKR 6,005
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
-60.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.35 LKR 5,416
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
-53.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.5 LKR 26.7K
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
3.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.91 LKR 13.6K
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
-47.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$673 Rp 12.1M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kurunegala
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$150 LKR 49.5K
$166 Rp 3.0M
-10.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
13.78
-7.91%

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

Last update for Kurunegala: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kurunegala
$235
Ubud, Bali
$287 22.1% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kurunegala
$84
Ubud, Bali
$105 24.5% $21
Eating Out
Kurunegala
$78
Ubud, Bali
$106 35.7% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Kurunegala
$70
Ubud, Bali
$107 51.9% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Kurunegala
$8.9 *
Ubud, Bali
$63 608% $54
Getting Around
Kurunegala
$2 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 528% $10
Accommodation & Living
Kurunegala
- *
Ubud, Bali
$673

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Ubud, Bali pays 11% 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: $25.00 in Kurunegala vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $287 per month, with Kurunegala cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Kurunegala
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
04:08 4:08 AM
06:38 6:38 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Kurunegala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
30,300
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 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
  • Kurunegala Ubud, Bali 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kurunegala
  • 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
Kurunegala vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Kurunegala?
Kurunegala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 183% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Kurunegala or Ubud, Bali?
On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Ubud, Bali. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $37.41 in Kurunegala versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Kurunegala or in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Kurunegala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Kurunegala or in Ubud, Bali?
At $479 in Kurunegala versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kurunegala but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Kurunegala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Kurunegala or Ubud, Bali more family-friendly?
For families, Kurunegala is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Kurunegala or Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Kurunegala 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 easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Kurunegala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 183% 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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