Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Male and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,530 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index
67

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

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Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,530

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Male versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Male $1,530
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,451 in Male versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Male $2,451
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Male versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Male $3,373
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Male is roughly 12% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Male 13% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.82 MVR 89.7

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

74.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.04 MVR 602

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

10.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 MVR 152

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

69.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 MVR 74.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$3.51 MVR 54.1

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

28.57%

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

$1.67 MVR 25.69

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

1.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 MVR 4.80

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MVR 30.68

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

32.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 MVR 26.08

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-26.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 MVR 19.33

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

5.93%

Eggs

$1.88 MVR 29.07

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-12.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 MVR 164

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-39.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 MVR 95.0

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

52.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 MVR 147

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-21.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.4

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

12.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 MVR 45.98

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

89.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 MVR 62.1

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

79.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 MVR 42.16

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

41.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MVR 32.01

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

10.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MVR 28.77

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-18.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 MVR 32.73

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

114.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MVR 9.09

$0.53 Rp 9,475

11.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.47 MVR 192

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MVR 40.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 MVR 29.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.18 MVR 234

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

565.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MVR 10.26

$0.24 Rp 4,315

179.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.32 MVR 467

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

243.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MVR 30.69

$0.48 Rp 8,684

314.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 MVR 30.55

$0.46 Rp 8,233

330.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.20 MVR 157

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

87.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 MVR 15.19

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

11.36%

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

$32.1K MVR 495.0K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

30.68%

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

$29.2K MVR 451.0K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-6.22%

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

$119 MVR 1,829

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

42.89%

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

$30.12 MVR 465

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

366.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 MVR 1,140

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

297.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 MVR 1,100

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

27.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.67 MVR 519

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

85.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 MVR 150

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

122.83%

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

$181 MVR 2,797

$493 Rp 8.9M

-63.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,056 MVR 47.1K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

-46.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.52 MVR 609

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-14.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 MVR 763

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

39.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 MVR 1,323

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

8.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 MVR 812

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-32.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 MVR 14.5K

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-17.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 MVR 10.9K

$676 Rp 12.2M

4.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 MVR 31.0K

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-42.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 MVR 24.2K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-7.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,213 MVR 34.1K

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-20.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,385 MVR 21.4K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-38.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$842 MVR 13.0K

$165 Rp 3.0M

411.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

1.60%

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

Last update for Male: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Male

$709 46.4%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 4.8% $34

Groceries & Markets

Male

$234 15.3%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 24.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Male

$223 14.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 51.5% $115

Eating Out

Male

$126 8.2%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 13.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Male

$102 6.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 5.1% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Male

$91 5.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 28.9% $26

Getting Around

Male

$45 2.9%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 72% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Male and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Male pays 412% 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: $39.00 in Male vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $290, with Male cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Male

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

3 h ahead of Male

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,693 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 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 MVR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Male Ubud, Bali 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Male
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

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

Ubud, Bali is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 412% higher in Male, 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: $938 in Male 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 $1,530 per month in Male versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 244% less than in Male. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,530 in Male, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Male. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ubud, Bali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Male, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Male 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 12% less than in Male. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.