Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,132 in Rochester, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rochester
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,132
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,132 in Rochester versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Rochester $2,132
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,270 in Rochester versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Rochester $3,270
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,408 in Rochester versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Rochester $4,408
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Rochester is roughly 58% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rochester 57% above, Ubud, Bali 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.66 £19.25
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
694.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.2 £71.4
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
172.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.06 £7.55
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
76.49%
Cappuccino
$4.99 £3.74
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
90.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 £1.76
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
36.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 £1.79
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
193.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.21 £3.91
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
96.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.68 £3.51
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
7.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 £1.36
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
15.29%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 £1.52
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-7.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.12 £1.59
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
79.66%
Eggs
$3.55 £2.66
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
64.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.21 £4.66
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-64.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.46 £5.60
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
97.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.78 £11.09
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
23.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 £2.09
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
-22.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 £1.42
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
19.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 £1.72
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
-0.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.29 £2.47
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
72.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 £1.45
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
8.99%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 £0.90
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-48.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 £0.90
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.30
$0.53 Rp 9,509
226.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.04 £18.04
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
949.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.67 £8.01
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-51.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.06 £2.30
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
30.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 £2.36
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
5.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.10 £3.07
$0.23 Rp 4,112
1682.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.09 £3.82
$0.47 Rp 8,466
982.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.67 £2.00
$0.43 Rp 7,737
520.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.41 £29.57
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
620.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.12 £1.59
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
155.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.0K £28.5K
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
59.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K £30.2K
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
22.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 £173
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
188.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.51 £12.39
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
151.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.34 £27.27
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
95.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.16 £29.38
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-27.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.33 £13.00
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
307.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,310 £983
$493 Rp 8.9M
165.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.8K £23.1K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
450.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.7 £68.8
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
101.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.03 £34.53
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
31.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 £77.6
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
33.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 £68.5
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
16.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 £1,152
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
35.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$952 £714
$673 Rp 12.1M
41.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,079 £1,560
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-42.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,695 £1,271
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-0.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,339 £4,005
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
96.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,521 £3,392
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
101.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rochester
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,403 £2,553
$166 Rp 3.0M
1945.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.12
13.78
-62.84%

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

Last update for Rochester: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rochester
$952
Ubud, Bali
$673 29.3% $279
Eating Out
Rochester
$350
Ubud, Bali
$106 69.6% $243
Groceries & Markets
Rochester
$289
Ubud, Bali
$287 0.6% $1.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rochester
$283
Ubud, Bali
$105 62.9% $178
Clothing & Footwear
Rochester
$150
Ubud, Bali
$107 28.8% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Rochester
$74
Ubud, Bali
$63 15.2% $11
Getting Around
Rochester
$35 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 64.3% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Rochester and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester pays 1946% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $95.0 in Rochester vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $287 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Rochester
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
20:51 8:51 PM
03:51 3:51 AM
7 h ahead of Rochester
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
62,982
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 24, 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
  • Rochester Ubud, Bali 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rochester
  • 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
Rochester vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rochester or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Rochester. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Rochester or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 1946% higher in Rochester, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Rochester compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,536 in Rochester versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Rochester or in Ubud, Bali?
Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Rochester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Rochester compared to Ubud, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $2,132 per month in Rochester versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Rochester or in Ubud, Bali?
At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,132 in Rochester, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Rochester. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Rochester or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,353 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How safe is Rochester compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Rochester 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Rochester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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