Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $852 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
67

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

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Penang versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Penang $852
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,307 in Penang versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Penang $1,307
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,763 in Penang versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Penang $1,763
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Penang costs roughly 38% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Penang is 37% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.18

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

11.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-44.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 MYR 18.47

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$2.92 MYR 11.89

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

6.96%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-52.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-51.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 MYR 16.81

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

52.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 MYR 18.51

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

5.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.65

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

25.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-53.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

50.00%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.85

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 MYR 55.9

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-21.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 MYR 17.56

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

6.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.79 MYR 35.86

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-28.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.05

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-16.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.96

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

8.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.21

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

22.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.76

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-26.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.36

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-43.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.37

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-53.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

10.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.53 Rp 9,475

7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 MYR 18.80

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

102.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.15 MYR 78.1

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-16.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 MYR 11.88

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

24.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.18

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

78.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$0.24 Rp 4,315

95.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.23 MYR 49.87

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

38.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MYR 6.86

$0.48 Rp 8,684

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.46 Rp 8,233

-10.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 MYR 29.12

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

31.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 MYR 3.80

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

5.68%

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

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

72.23%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

14.82%

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

$37.07 MYR 151

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-55.34%

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

$9.84 MYR 40.13

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

52.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.79 MYR 117

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

55.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.22 MYR 156

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-31.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.97 MYR 20.28

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-72.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 MYR 19.67

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

10.05%

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

$423 MYR 1,726

$493 Rp 8.9M

-14.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

87.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

27.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.27 MYR 144

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

6.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 MYR 290

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 MYR 1,658

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 MYR 934

$676 Rp 12.2M

-66.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 MYR 2,496

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-82.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,663

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-76.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,223 MYR 9,070

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-20.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,070 MYR 4,365

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-52.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MYR 3,702

$165 Rp 3.0M

451.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

13.78

-70.68%

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

Last update for Penang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 30.2%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 13% $33

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$229 26.9%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 195% $447

Eating Out

Penang

$113 13.2%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 3.5% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$112 13.2%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 4% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.9%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 42.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$48 5.6%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 34.9% $17

Getting Around

Penang

$18 2.1%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 29.6% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Penang and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 451% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Penang vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $290 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

74,800

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Penang Ubud, Bali 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Penang
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

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

Penang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 451% higher in Penang, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Penang versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Penang – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $852 per month in Penang versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $852 in Penang versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Penang but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Penang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Penang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Penang 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.

Expats usually find Penang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.