Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,229 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
67

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

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Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Kyoto vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Kyoto $1,229
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,987 per month in Kyoto vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Kyoto $1,987
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Kyoto vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Kyoto $2,745
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Kyoto is about 10% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Kyoto sits 9% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.52 ¥1,504

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

185.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 ¥5,031

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-9.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ¥791

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-13.79%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥529

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

22.71%

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

$0.83 ¥132

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-49.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥115

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-12.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 ¥870

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

28.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥258

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-29.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.74 ¥907

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

386.44%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥335

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 ¥1,353

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-50.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 ¥1,197

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

88.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,690

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-12.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ¥815

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

45.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

44.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 ¥781

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

120.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 ¥555

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

81.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥307

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

3.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-27.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

19.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.53 Rp 9,475

86.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

69.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ¥1,189

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-67.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ¥517

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

12.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$0.24 Rp 4,315

516.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 ¥10.0K

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

619.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 ¥513

$0.48 Rp 8,684

577.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 ¥596

$0.46 Rp 8,233

719.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.62 ¥4,521

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

425.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

20.45%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

-11.34%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-51.51%

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

$102 ¥16.1K

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

22.47%

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

$23.50 ¥3,712

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

264.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.15 ¥4,921

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

67.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,265

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-6.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 ¥3,001

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

4.91%

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 ¥1,905

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

175.34%

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

$642 ¥101.5K

$493 Rp 8.9M

30.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,412 ¥1.0M

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

11.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 ¥8,980

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

23.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.66 ¥7,214

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

29.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 ¥11.0K

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-12.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

33.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥87.1K

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-51.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$676 Rp 12.2M

-51.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 ¥275.4K

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 ¥121.0K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-54.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,241 ¥354.0K

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-19.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,270 ¥200.7K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-43.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 ¥298.5K

$165 Rp 3.0M

1048.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

13.78

-83.82%

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

Last update for Kyoto: 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

Kyoto

$325 26.5%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 108% $350

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$291 23.7%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Kyoto

$165 13.4%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 33.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$156 12.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 30.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$124 10.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 13.6% $17

Getting Around

Kyoto

$91 7.4%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 86.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$76 6.2%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 15.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Kyoto 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 1048% higher in Kyoto, 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 $32.00 in Kyoto versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Kyoto vs $290 in Ubud, Bali – so Ubud, Bali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

74,800

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Kyoto Ubud, Bali 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 11% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,844 per month in Kyoto 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 Kyoto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Ubud, Bali – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kyoto and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Kyoto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,229 in Kyoto to $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kyoto. 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.