Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malacca and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $609 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index
65

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

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Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$609

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $609 per month in Malacca vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Malacca $609
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $970 per month in Malacca vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Malacca $970
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $1,330 per month in Malacca vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Malacca $1,330
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Malacca is about 55% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 MYR 13.11

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

-2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.02 MYR 73.1

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

-49.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.46

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

-13.20%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.72

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

6.25%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.18

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-53.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-27.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 MYR 7.83

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

-27.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.77

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

-33.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.74

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.27

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

-53.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.99

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

24.37%

Eggs

$1.68 MYR 6.81

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

-17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.08 MYR 73.3

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

2.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 MYR 18.78

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

16.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 MYR 42.76

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

-13.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MYR 13.36

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

-10.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.81

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

7.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.87

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-14.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.70

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

-23.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.72

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-31.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.57

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

38.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.25

$0.51 Rp 9,313

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 MYR 16.97

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

88.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 MYR 57.6

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 MYR 8.68

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-5.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MYR 12.70

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

5.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 MYR 1.93

$0.25 Rp 4,553

92.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.3

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

58.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.13

$0.44 Rp 7,972

131.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 MYR 2.87

$0.43 Rp 7,801

65.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.09 MYR 49.02

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

123.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

-37.80%

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

$44.4K MYR 180.2K

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

86.39%

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

$36.0K MYR 145.9K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

13.32%

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

$52.4 MYR 212

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-33.75%

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

$11.33 MYR 45.93

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

75.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.13 MYR 114

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

51.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.87 MYR 88.7

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

-55.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.78 MYR 47.74

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

-33.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 19.94

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

15.22%

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

$237 MYR 961

$491 Rp 8.9M

-51.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,388 MYR 17.8K

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

-22.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MYR 219

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

21.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.83 MYR 68.2

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

-51.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 332

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.7 MYR 392

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

21.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 MYR 782

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-82.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,179 MYR 4,780

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

-56.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$794 MYR 3,218

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

-65.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$416 MYR 1,686

$164 Rp 3.0M

153.86%

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 Malacca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malacca

$258 42.4%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 11.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Malacca

$112 18.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 4.3% $4.8

Eating Out

Malacca

$96 15.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 12.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malacca

$92 15.1%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 13.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Malacca

$32 5.2%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 83% $26

Getting Around

Malacca

$19 3.1%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 39.4% $7.4

Accommodation & Living

Malacca

- * 0%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $193 in Malacca versus $1,125 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 in Malacca are about 2.5 times higher, 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 $18 in Malacca versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $288 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malacca

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

Same time as Malacca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malacca Ubud, Bali 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Malacca
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $609 in Malacca, $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Malacca comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $913 per month in Malacca and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $193 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Malacca and $36 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $609 in Malacca and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. That makes Malacca about 55% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $609, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $609 in Malacca to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.