Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meru and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Meru: $520 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Meru
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Meru Living Index
64

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

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Meru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Meru versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Meru $520
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $853 in Meru versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Meru $853
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,185 in Meru versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Meru $1,185
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Meru costs roughly 61% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Meru 62% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 KES 835

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

90.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.99 KES 4,542

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

0.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 KES 810

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

12.03%

Cappuccino

$2.59 KES 336

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

-1.15%

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

$0.66 KES 85.6

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 KES 86.0

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 KES 305

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

-11.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 KES 355

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

-35.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 KES 106

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

-43.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 KES 51.4

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

-82.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 KES 144

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

Eggs

$1.46 KES 190

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

-30.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 KES 1,389

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

-32.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 KES 867

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

72.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 KES 665

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

-55.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 KES 434

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

-5.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-48.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 KES 98.0

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-66.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 KES 103

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-59.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 KES 150

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

-37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 KES 132

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-58.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.24 KES 31.32

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

-76.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 KES 51.9

$0.52 Rp 9,475

-23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 KES 439

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

53.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.69 KES 1,518

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

-46.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 KES 297

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

-1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 KES 347

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-10.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$0.44 Rp 7,941

256.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 KES 198

$0.47 Rp 8,489

223.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 KES 370

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

-49.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 208

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

92.77%

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

$19.5K KES 2.5M

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

-20.13%

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

$21.9K KES 2.8M

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

-30.88%

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

$57.0 KES 7,393

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

-26.50%

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

$15.21 KES 1,975

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

147.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,477

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

82.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 KES 976

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

71.46%

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

$281 KES 36.4K

$492 Rp 8.9M

-43.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

-1.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.89 KES 3,621

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

-38.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 KES 3,699

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

-18.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 KES 9,026

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

-11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 KES 7,501

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

-25.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

13.78

6.75%

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

Last update for Meru: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Meru

$183 35.2%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 52.6% $96

Eating Out

Meru

$124 23.8%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 14.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meru

$107 20.5%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 3.8% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Meru

$83 15.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 28.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Meru

$15 * 2.9%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 298% $45

Getting Around

Meru

$9.2 * 1.8%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 30% $2.8

Accommodation & Living

Meru

- * 0%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35 in Meru vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $279 per month, with Meru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Meru

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

14:06 2:06 PM

5 h ahead of Meru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,833,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.84 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.84 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,421 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.9 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Meru Ubud, Bali 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Meru
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

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

Meru wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Meru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $781 in Meru and $1,996 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.

All in, you’ll spend $520 per month in Meru versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali – Meru is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $520 in Meru versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Meru but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Meru 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.