Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rishikesh and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Rishikesh: $390 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rishikesh
🇮🇳 India
$390
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $390 per month in Rishikesh vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Rishikesh $390
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $619 per month in Rishikesh vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Rishikesh $619
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $848 per month in Rishikesh vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Rishikesh $848
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Rishikesh is about 72% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rishikesh sits 71% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₹293
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
-7.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$8.73 ₹829
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
-75.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.64 ₹345
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
-37.24%
Cappuccino
$1.49 ₹142
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-45.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹35.45
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-77.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 ₹16.98
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-78.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 ₹193
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
-24.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 ₹290
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-29.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.58 ₹55.4
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
-61.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.27 ₹25.88
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-88.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.81 ₹76.5
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-31.36%
Eggs
$0.93 ₹88.3
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
-56.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.46 ₹423
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-74.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.50 ₹332
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
-13.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 ₹189
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-43.94%
Banana (1kg)
$0.76 ₹72.1
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-51.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.03 ₹98.1
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-54.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.49 ₹46.92
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
-74.61%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 ₹28.84
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-84.04%
Onion (1kg)
$0.32 ₹30.82
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-86.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.41 ₹39.38
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
-58.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.75
$0.53 Rp 9,475
-41.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.06 ₹196
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
-9.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.26 ₹784
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-64.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 ₹152
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-31.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 ₹257
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-6.87%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.28 ₹597
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₹26.76
$0.24 Rp 4,315
16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.60 ₹721
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-13.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ₹97.9
$0.48 Rp 8,684
114.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.70
$0.46 Rp 8,233
-41.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.59 ₹151
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
-70.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ₹104
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.6K ₹1.0M
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
-56.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.4K ₹1.7M
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-40.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.49 ₹4,035
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
-48.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.32 ₹316
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
-48.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.86 ₹651
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
-63.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$11.55 ₹1,096
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-79.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.23 ₹687
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-60.08%
Cinema Ticket
$5.18 ₹492
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
18.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$102 ₹9,665
$493 Rp 8.9M
-79.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,297 ₹218.1K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
-60.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.30 ₹2,022
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
-53.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.93 ₹1,987
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
-40.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.2 ₹5,052
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-32.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$43.99 ₹4,178
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
-43.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$106 ₹10.1K
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-90.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$64.7 ₹6,147
$676 Rp 12.2M
-90.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$246 ₹23.3K
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-92.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$169 ₹16.0K
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-90.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$989 ₹93.9K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-64.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$524 ₹49.7K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-76.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rishikesh
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$210 ₹20.0K
$165 Rp 3.0M
27.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
13.78
-56.46%

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

Last update for Rishikesh: 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
Rishikesh
$104
Ubud, Bali
$290 178% $186
Eating Out
Rishikesh
$72
Ubud, Bali
$109 51.1% $37
Accommodation & Living
Rishikesh
$65
Ubud, Bali
$676 944% $611
Clothing & Footwear
Rishikesh
$63
Ubud, Bali
$108 71.4% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rishikesh
$53
Ubud, Bali
$108 105% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Rishikesh
$22
Ubud, Bali
$65 195% $43
Getting Around
Rishikesh
$11
Ubud, Bali
$13 13% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $106 in Rishikesh versus $1,142 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 run about 28% higher in Rishikesh, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Rishikesh versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $104 vs $290 – making Rishikesh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Rishikesh
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
13:09 1:09 PM
15:39 3:39 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Rishikesh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
66,390
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 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
  • Rishikesh Ubud, Bali 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rishikesh
  • 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
Rishikesh vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rishikesh or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali costs about 251% more than Rishikesh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Rishikesh and in Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $584 per month in Rishikesh and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Rishikesh or Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rishikesh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Rishikesh compared to Ubud, Bali?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $390 in Rishikesh and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 251%.
How expensive is transport in Rishikesh compared to Ubud, Bali?
Public transport costs about 16% less in Rishikesh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Rishikesh or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rishikesh, where all-in costs run around $390, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Rishikesh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Rishikesh or Ubud, Bali?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rishikesh costs $390 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Rishikesh compared to Ubud, Bali?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Rishikesh or to Ubud, Bali?
If budget matters most, go with Rishikesh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Rishikesh vs other spots: cost of living compared

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