Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mussaffah and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,881 in Mussaffah, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mussaffah, United Arab Emirates
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Mussaffah
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$1,881
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,881 per month in Mussaffah vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Mussaffah $1,881
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $3,357 per month in Mussaffah vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Mussaffah $3,357
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $4,833 per month in Mussaffah vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Mussaffah $4,833
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Mussaffah costs about 39% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.89 AED 25.32
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
107.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.36 AED 119
$35.64 Rp 646.7K
-9.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.61 AED 35.30
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
73.78%
Cappuccino
$4.82 AED 17.70
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
77.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 AED 2.71
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
-56.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 AED 1.06
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
-61.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.70 AED 35.64
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
266.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.44 AED 34.69
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
115.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 AED 6.49
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
18.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.15 AED 4.24
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
-49.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 AED 7.11
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
63.03%
Eggs
$3.21 AED 11.79
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
57.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.53 AED 31.33
$17.70 Rp 321.2K
-51.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.55 AED 24.06
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
65.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.27 AED 37.73
$12.19 Rp 221.2K
-15.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 AED 8.33
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
-37.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 AED 6.37
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
13.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.32 AED 4.85
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
-40.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.29 AED 4.73
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
-34.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 AED 3.81
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
-43.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 AED 4.05
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
-54.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 AED 5.42
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
49.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 AED 2.14
$0.51 Rp 9,316
13.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.28 AED 23.06
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
182.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.77 AED 50.6
$22.24 Rp 403.6K
-38.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 AED 9.26
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
11.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 AED 9.06
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
-16.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 AED 7.96
$0.25 Rp 4,555
768.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.63 AED 124
$7.82 Rp 142.0K
330.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 AED 11.96
$0.44 Rp 7,975
640.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 AED 2.05
$0.43 Rp 7,804
30.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.39 AED 30.81
$5.41 Rp 98.2K
55.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 AED 3.47
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
14.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.5K AED 93.5K
$23.8K Rp 432.6M
6.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.3K AED 78.2K
$31.7K Rp 576.1M
-32.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$189 AED 695
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
139.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.4 AED 214
$6.45 Rp 117.0K
805.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$93.6 AED 344
$18.58 Rp 337.1K
403.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.7 AED 208
$49.48 Rp 897.9K
14.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.09 AED 103
$17.65 Rp 320.2K
59.15%
Cinema Ticket
$13.85 AED 50.9
$4.27 Rp 77.6K
224.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$685 AED 2,516
$491 Rp 8.9M
39.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,383 AED 30.8K
$5,674 Rp 103.0M
47.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 AED 216
$44.64 Rp 810.0K
31.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.13 AED 177
$34.95 Rp 634.2K
37.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 AED 399
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
35.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.3 AED 354
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
21.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 AED 2,958
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
-28.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$818 AED 3,005
$671 Rp 12.2M
21.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,818 AED 6,678
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
-48.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,720 AED 9,989
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
57.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,854 AED 17.8K
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
77.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,376 AED 8,727
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
4.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mussaffah
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,910 AED 10.7K
$164 Rp 3.0M
1675.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.55
13.78
-66.98%

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

Last update for Mussaffah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mussaffah
$818
Ubud, Bali
$672 17.9% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mussaffah
$341
Ubud, Bali
$104 69.5% $237
Groceries & Markets
Mussaffah
$236
Ubud, Bali
$288 22.4% $53
Eating Out
Mussaffah
$213
Ubud, Bali
$108 49.5% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Mussaffah
$140
Ubud, Bali
$108 23.4% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Mussaffah
$84
Ubud, Bali
$58 31.2% $26
Getting Around
Mussaffah
$48
Ubud, Bali
$11 76.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Mussaffah versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mussaffah are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Mussaffah versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $288 – making Mussaffah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇪 Mussaffah
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
21:35 9:35 PM
01:35 1:35 AM
4 h ahead of Mussaffah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
243,341
74,800
💱 Currency
UAE Dirham AED د.إ
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mussaffah Ubud, Bali 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mussaffah
  • 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
Mussaffah vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Mussaffah?
Yes – Mussaffah is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,822 per month in Mussaffah and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mussaffah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $805 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $685 per month in Mussaffah and $491 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Mussaffah and in Ubud, Bali?
Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Mussaffah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Mussaffah or in Ubud, Bali?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,881 in Mussaffah and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Mussaffah or in Ubud, Bali?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,349 in Ubud, Bali to $1,881 in Mussaffah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Mussaffah or Ubud, Bali?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mussaffah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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