Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

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

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Phuket $1,208
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Phuket $2,027
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Phuket $2,845
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Phuket costs roughly 11% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

36.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

-7.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

53.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

8.02%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

-41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

-12.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

27.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

11.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

-11.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

-6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

-5.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

7.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

-18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-40.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

7.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.53 Rp 9,509

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

86.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-15.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.23 Rp 4,112

882.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

148.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.47 Rp 8,466

540.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.43 Rp 7,737

146.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

-29.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

74.70%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

10.27%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-17.82%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

20.49%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

68.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

-7.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-3.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

-38.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

83.76%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$493 Rp 8.9M

12.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

106.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

40.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

-17.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

22.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

12.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-34.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$673 Rp 12.1M

-31.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-42.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-29.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

28.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

12.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$166 Rp 3.0M

200.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.78

-59.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 45.5% $211

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 6.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 15.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 14.3% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 12.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 7.6% $5.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 68.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 201% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $287 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

20:21 8:21 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

74,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ubud, Bali 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 201% higher in Phuket, 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket 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, Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.