Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muar and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Muar: $951 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Muar, Malaysia
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Muar
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$951
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $951 in Muar versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Muar $951
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Muar versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Muar $1,505
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,059 in Muar versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Muar $2,059
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Muar costs roughly 30% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.82 MYR 19.65
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
45.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.01 MYR 118
$35.64 Rp 648.1K
-18.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.88 MYR 15.81
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
-29.84%
Cappuccino
$3.05 MYR 12.42
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
12.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 MYR 3.11
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
-55.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 MYR 1.87
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
-39.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.44 MYR 18.08
$2.65 Rp 48.3K
67.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.27 MYR 25.54
$4.38 Rp 79.7K
43.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 MYR 8.68
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
42.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 MYR 4.36
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
-53.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 MYR 7.55
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
55.46%
Eggs
$2.44 MYR 9.93
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
19.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.25 MYR 58.1
$17.70 Rp 321.9K
-19.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.44 MYR 18.10
$3.96 Rp 72.1K
12.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.95 MYR 40.53
$12.19 Rp 221.7K
-18.38%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 MYR 13.70
$3.66 Rp 66.5K
-8.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 MYR 7.52
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
21.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 MYR 9.15
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
0.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 MYR 6.16
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
-23.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.22 MYR 4.96
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
-34.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 MYR 5.58
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
-43.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 MYR 4.73
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
17.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 MYR 2.90
$0.51 Rp 9,336
39.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.45 MYR 18.13
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
100.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.48 MYR 79.4
$22.24 Rp 404.4K
-12.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.48 MYR 14.19
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
53.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.99 MYR 20.35
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
68.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.64 MYR 2.62
$0.25 Rp 4,564
156.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.62 MYR 43.28
$7.82 Rp 142.3K
35.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 MYR 4.83
$0.44 Rp 7,992
170.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.25 MYR 5.08
$0.43 Rp 7,821
190.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.87 MYR 19.86
$5.41 Rp 98.4K
-9.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 MYR 3.31
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
-1.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.4K MYR 181.0K
$23.8K Rp 433.5M
86.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.9K MYR 142.0K
$31.7K Rp 577.3M
9.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MYR 253
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-21.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.88 MYR 36.19
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
37.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.21 MYR 107
$18.58 Rp 337.8K
41.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.02 MYR 151
$49.48 Rp 899.8K
-25.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.79 MYR 23.57
$17.65 Rp 320.9K
-67.20%
Cinema Ticket
$4.85 MYR 19.76
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
13.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$240 MYR 977
$491 Rp 8.9M
-51.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K MYR 54.3K
$5,674 Rp 103.2M
134.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MYR 294
$44.64 Rp 811.7K
61.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.83 MYR 170
$34.95 Rp 635.6K
19.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.3 MYR 343
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
5.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.3 MYR 392
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
21.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$445 MYR 1,811
$1,125 Rp 20.5M
-60.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$253 MYR 1,029
$671 Rp 12.2M
-62.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$617 MYR 2,512
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
-82.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$518 MYR 2,109
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-69.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,001 MYR 8,151
$2,732 Rp 49.7M
-26.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,229 MYR 5,005
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
-46.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Muar
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$603 MYR 2,456
$164 Rp 3.0M
267.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.17
13.78
-69.74%

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

Last update for Muar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Muar
$274
Ubud, Bali
$288 5.1% $14
Accommodation & Living
Muar
$253
Ubud, Bali
$672 166% $419
Clothing & Footwear
Muar
$133
Ubud, Bali
$108 18.9% $25
Eating Out
Muar
$126
Ubud, Bali
$108 14.8% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Muar
$97
Ubud, Bali
$104 7.2% $7
Sport & Entertainment
Muar
$47
Ubud, Bali
$58 24.2% $11
Getting Around
Muar
$21
Ubud, Bali
$11 44.6% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $445 in Muar and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muar pays about 3.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29 in Muar vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $288 per month, with Muar cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Muar
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
16:59 4:59 PM
16:59 4:59 PM
Same time as Muar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
314,776
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Muar Ubud, Bali 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Muar
  • 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
Muar vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Muar and in Ubud, Bali?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $951 in Muar and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, so Muar is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Muar or Ubud, Bali?
Average pay in Muar is about 3.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Muar and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $445 in Muar versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Muar and in Ubud, Bali?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 26% less than in Muar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Muar and Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $240 in Muar versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $951 in Muar versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Muar but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Muar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Muar and Ubud, Bali?
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.
Is Muar or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Muar and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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