Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,522 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
65

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

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,522

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,522 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Merrillville, IN $2,522
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,513 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Merrillville, IN $3,513
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,505 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Merrillville, IN $4,505
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 87% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

351.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 $55.8

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

56.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

79.75%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

64.71%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

33.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

192.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

66.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

36.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-51.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

39.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

296.64%

Eggs

$4.72 $4.72

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

131.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-37.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

137.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.23 $22.23

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

82.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

57.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

96.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 $5.68

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

188.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

92.97%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

79.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

146.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.51 Rp 9,332

139.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.07 $11.07

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

398.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

16.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.25 Rp 4,562

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 $67.2

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

759.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$0.44 Rp 7,989

1015.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.43 Rp 7,817

320.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.1 $50.1

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

825.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

12.20%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

14.36%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-18.14%

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

$233 $233

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

195.16%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

683.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

221.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.20 $37.20

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-24.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

247.78%

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

$1,353 $1,353

$491 Rp 8.9M

175.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

319.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

19.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

15.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

36.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 $95.5

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 $1,400

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

24.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$671 Rp 12.2M

85.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,523 $2,523

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 $1,796

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

4.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,837 $2,837

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

3.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 $2,031

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-11.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

13.78

-52.61%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.2K 49.3%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 46% $573

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15.5%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 26% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$344 13.6%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 69.7% $240

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$255 10.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 57.8% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$134 5.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 19.8% $26

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$88 3.5%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 87% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$67 2.7%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 13.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Merrillville, IN and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Merrillville, IN vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

22:26 10:26 PM

13 h ahead of Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,228 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merrillville, IN Ubud, Bali 15,730 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

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

Merrillville, IN and Ubud, Bali differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($2,522 vs $1,349 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,783 in Merrillville, IN and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,400 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,353 in Merrillville, IN versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.