Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maha Sarakham and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $925 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Maha Sarakham, Thailand
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Maha Sarakham
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Maha Sarakham vs $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Maha Sarakham $925
  • Ubud, Bali $1,331

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Maha Sarakham vs $2,255 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Maha Sarakham $1,533
  • Ubud, Bali $2,255

A family of three spends $2,140 per month in Maha Sarakham vs $3,180 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Maha Sarakham $2,140
  • Ubud, Bali $3,180

Maha Sarakham is about 30% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Maha Sarakham and Ubud, Bali are more affordable than the global median – Maha Sarakham 32% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.92 ฿98.3
$3.38 Rp 61.3K
-13.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.94 ฿942
$34.65 Rp 629.3K
-19.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.50 ฿253
$5.57 Rp 101.2K
34.65%
Cappuccino
$1.71 ฿57.8
$2.62 Rp 47.6K
-34.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 ฿20.35
$1.54 Rp 28.0K
-61.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.26
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
-48.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
-31.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 ฿99.3
$4.26 Rp 77.4K
-30.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.5
$1.46 Rp 26.6K
17.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.33 ฿44.96
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
-41.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 ฿47.61
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
27.03%
Eggs
$2.41 ฿81.2
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
14.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.68 ฿596
$15.94 Rp 289.5K
10.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.66 ฿89.5
$3.88 Rp 70.5K
-31.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.67 ฿393
$11.40 Rp 207.1K
2.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ฿94.4
$3.55 Rp 64.5K
-21.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.24
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
-27.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 ฿79.4
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
5.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.75 ฿58.9
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
-11.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.26
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
-31.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 ฿39.07
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
-52.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 ฿35.77
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
3.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.45 ฿15.18
$0.52 Rp 9,486
-13.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ฿146
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
96.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.25 ฿682
$21.79 Rp 395.7K
-7.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 ฿64.8
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
-17.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 ฿88.2
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
-11.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.34
$0.25 Rp 4,547
248.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.17 Rp 148.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 ฿45.20
$0.44 Rp 7,950
204.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.16 ฿39.24
$0.47 Rp 8,499
146.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.26 ฿144
$5.60 Rp 101.7K
-23.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ฿44.19
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
57.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K ฿913.3K
$24.4K Rp 444.0M
10.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K ฿913.4K
$31.7K Rp 575.6M
-14.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.9 ฿3,163
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
21.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.16 ฿342
$6.14 Rp 111.6K
65.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.73 ฿564
$18.92 Rp 343.5K
-11.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.96 ฿1,448
$51.0 Rp 926.1K
-15.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.62 ฿391
$18.25 Rp 331.4K
-36.33%
Cinema Ticket
$5.64 ฿190
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
28.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$581 ฿19.6K
$492 Rp 8.9M
17.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.5K ฿522.1K
$12.2K Rp 222.0M
26.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.52 ฿1,534
$45.16 Rp 820.2K
0.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.46 ฿1,026
$34.89 Rp 633.6K
-12.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 ฿2,849
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
7.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.5 ฿2,748
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
4.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maha Sarakham
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$485 ฿16.3K
$1,078 Rp 19.6M
-55.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$288 ฿9,719
$665 Rp 12.1M
-56.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,219 ฿41.1K
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
-65.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$745 ฿25.1K
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
-55.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,021 ฿68.1K
$2,340 Rp 42.5M
-13.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,677 ฿56.5K
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-25.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maha Sarakham
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 Maha Sarakham: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Maha Sarakham
$288
Ubud, Bali
$665 131% $377
Groceries & Markets
Maha Sarakham
$257
Ubud, Bali
$279 8.7% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maha Sarakham
$121
Ubud, Bali
$103 15.1% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Maha Sarakham
$109
Ubud, Bali
$106 2.4% $2.6
Eating Out
Maha Sarakham
$85
Ubud, Bali
$106 24.2% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Maha Sarakham
$54
Ubud, Bali
$60 10.2% $5.5
Getting Around
Maha Sarakham
$11 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 12.2% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $485 in Maha Sarakham versus $1,078 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Maha Sarakham versus $35 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $279 – making Maha Sarakham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
01:08 1:08 AM
02:08 2:08 AM
1 h ahead of Maha Sarakham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
46,523
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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Maha Sarakham Ubud, Bali 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Maha Sarakham
  • 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
Maha Sarakham vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Maha Sarakham and in Ubud, Bali compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $925 in Maha Sarakham, $1,331 in Ubud, Bali – Maha Sarakham comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Maha Sarakham compared to Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Maha Sarakham and $1,996 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Maha Sarakham and Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Maha Sarakham, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $485 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Maha Sarakham and $35 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,331. In Maha Sarakham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Maha Sarakham and Ubud, Bali?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Maha Sarakham to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Maha Sarakham or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Maha Sarakham vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?