Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,030 in Malaga, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malaga
Learn more

Malaga Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Malaga

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,030

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,030 in Malaga versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Malaga $2,030
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,972 in Malaga versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Malaga $2,972
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,915 in Malaga versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Malaga $3,915
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Malaga is roughly 48% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Malaga 50% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.91 €15.04

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

407.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.2

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

92.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.38 €11.01

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

113.45%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-5.49%

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

$2.76 €2.46

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

68.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.79

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

143.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €2.99

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.01

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

4.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-18.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-37.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

49.15%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.05

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

60.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 €13.41

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-13.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 €7.14

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

99.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 €13.43

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

23.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-29.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

26.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-17.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-7.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

26.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.64

$0.53 Rp 9,475

33.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.00

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

196.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.87 €6.11

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-70.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-51.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.24 Rp 4,315

566.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.11 €24.11

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

207.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.48 Rp 8,684

285.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.46 Rp 8,233

160.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.47 €19.99

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

312.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

106.82%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

43.26%

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

$28.7K €25.5K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-8.10%

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

$163 €145

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

96.87%

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

$10.77 €9.58

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

66.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.58 €21.87

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

32.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.11 €38.35

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-22.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 €15.94

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-1.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.78 €8.70

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

123.29%

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

$853 €759

$493 Rp 8.9M

73.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €8,970

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

75.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.3

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

90.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.54 €35.18

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

11.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 €75.3

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.5

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

37.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,296

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 €950

$676 Rp 12.2M

58.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 €2,191

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-29.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 €1,496

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-1.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 €4,440

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

79.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,914 €2,592

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

30.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,852 €1,648

$165 Rp 3.0M

1025.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

13.78

-76.12%

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

Last update for Malaga: 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

Malaga

$1.1K 52.6%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 36.7% $392

Groceries & Markets

Malaga

$268 13.2%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 8.6% $23

Eating Out

Malaga

$248 12.2%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 56.2% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaga

$199 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 45.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Malaga

$144 7.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 25.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Malaga

$63 3.1%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 3.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Malaga

$41 2%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 69.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,457 in Malaga and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malaga pays 1026% 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: $68.0 in Malaga vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $290, with Malaga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Malaga

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

6 h ahead of Malaga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

586,384

74,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaga Ubud, Bali 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Malaga
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

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

Malaga and Ubud, Bali differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($2,030 vs $1,368 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1026% higher in Malaga, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,457 in Malaga versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,030 per month in Malaga versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 207% less than in Malaga. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,030 in Malaga, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Malaga. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Malaga 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.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Malaga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.