Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mogadishu and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $616 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mogadishu
🇸🇴 Somalia
$616
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Mogadishu versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Mogadishu $616
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $949 in Mogadishu versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Mogadishu $949
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,282 in Mogadishu versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Mogadishu $1,282
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Mogadishu costs roughly 54% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mogadishu is 55% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.96 SOS 1,681
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
-8.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.95 SOS 19.9K
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
0.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.53 SOS 2,573
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
-20.53%
Cappuccino
$2.03 SOS 1,155
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
-22.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.20 SOS 680
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-30.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 SOS 303
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
-34.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 SOS 720
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-19.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 SOS 897
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-27.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.79 SOS 449
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-33.05%
Eggs
$1.95 SOS 1,107
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
-9.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.13 SOS 2,913
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-70.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.85 SOS 2,189
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
1.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.55 SOS 2,585
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
-61.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.82 SOS 2,169
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
6.11%
Banana (1kg)
$0.98 SOS 555
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
-38.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.04 SOS 1,727
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
31.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.31 SOS 745
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
-31.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.54 SOS 876
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
-13.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.76 SOS 1,000
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-24.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 SOS 861
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
52.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 SOS 303
$0.53 Rp 9,509
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
-
Wine (Bottle)
-
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 SOS 1,156
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-13.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 SOS 298
$0.23 Rp 4,112
126.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 SOS 577
$0.47 Rp 8,466
117.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 SOS 325
$0.43 Rp 7,737
32.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 SOS 1,744
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
-43.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.85 SOS 485
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
2.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$6,413 SOS 3.6M
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-80.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 SOS 91.6K
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
101.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.89 SOS 2,778
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
-25.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.3 SOS 37.7K
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
256.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.50 SOS 17.9K
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-41.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$77.4 SOS 44.0K
$493 Rp 8.9M
-84.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$771 SOS 438.1K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
-86.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.11 SOS 8,013
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
-69.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.82 SOS 7,848
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
-60.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$24.83 SOS 14.1K
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
-68.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.74 SOS 18.6K
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
-58.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$198 SOS 112.6K
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-82.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$76.5 SOS 43.5K
$673 Rp 12.1M
-88.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$470 SOS 267.0K
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-86.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$190 SOS 107.8K
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-88.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,145 SOS 1.8M
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
15.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,428 SOS 1.4M
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
8.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mogadishu
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$280 SOS 159.2K
$166 Rp 3.0M
68.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
13.78
-

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

Last update for Mogadishu: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mogadishu
$233
Ubud, Bali
$105 54.8% $127
Groceries & Markets
Mogadishu
$162 *
Ubud, Bali
$287 77% $125
Accommodation & Living
Mogadishu
$77
Ubud, Bali
$673 779% $596
Eating Out
Mogadishu
$69 *
Ubud, Bali
$106 55.2% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Mogadishu
$38
Ubud, Bali
$107 177% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Mogadishu
$32 *
Ubud, Bali
$63 98.8% $31
Getting Around
Mogadishu
$6 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 108% $6.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $198 in Mogadishu and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mogadishu pays 68% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Mogadishu vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $162 vs $287 per month, with Mogadishu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇸🇴 Mogadishu
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
15:33 3:33 PM
20:33 8:33 PM
5 h ahead of Mogadishu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,610,000 Capital
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 639 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mogadishu Ubud, Bali 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mogadishu
  • 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
Mogadishu vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mogadishu or Ubud, Bali?
Mogadishu wins on cost – living expenses run 120% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mogadishu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Mogadishu or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 68% higher in Mogadishu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mogadishu compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $198 in Mogadishu versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Mogadishu and in Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $77.4 in Mogadishu versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Mogadishu and in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Mogadishu – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mogadishu or in Ubud, Bali?
At $616 in Mogadishu versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mogadishu but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Mogadishu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Mogadishu or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Mogadishu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $616 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mogadishu hard to pass up.
How safe is Mogadishu compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Mogadishu 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Mogadishu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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