Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Rome
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,998
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,998 in Rome versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Rome $1,998
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,117 in Rome versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Rome $3,117
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,236 in Rome versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Rome $4,236
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Rome is roughly 46% 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: Rome 48% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.69 €14.84
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
401.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 €58.5
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
86.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.08 €9.85
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
91.03%
Cappuccino
$2.10 €1.87
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-23.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.59
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
77.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 €1.32
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
78.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.62 €5.00
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
108.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.68 €5.94
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
55.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
14.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-1.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.99 €2.66
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
153.39%
Eggs
$4.75 €4.23
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
121.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.53 €12.92
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-16.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.63 €11.24
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
213.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.86 €17.67
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
62.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.64 €2.35
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-25.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
45.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 €2.19
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
9.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 €2.15
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
25.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.38 €1.22
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-26.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 €1.38
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-32.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 €1.17
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$0.53 Rp 9,475
3.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.31 €6.50
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
220.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.44 €4.84
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-76.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 €1.40
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-32.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.33
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-9.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.63 €1.45
$0.24 Rp 4,315
579.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.26 €34.92
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
345.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.51 €5.79
$0.48 Rp 8,684
1256.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 €1.50
$0.46 Rp 8,233
265.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.24 €29.57
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
509.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.17 €1.93
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
146.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K €31.4K
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
43.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K €31.5K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
13.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 €181
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
144.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.50 €10.22
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
78.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.03 €28.49
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
72.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.9 €58.6
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
18.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.89 €20.36
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
26.39%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 €9.99
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
156.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$484 €430
$493 Rp 8.9M
-1.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K €14.7K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
187.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.0 €63.1
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
53.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.51 €32.47
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
3.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.9 €75.5
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
7.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 €108
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
55.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 €1,087
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
6.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$881 €784
$676 Rp 12.2M
30.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,537 €2,257
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-27.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,721 €1,530
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
1.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,274 €7,360
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
197.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,084 €2,743
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
37.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rome
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,942 €1,728
$165 Rp 3.0M
1080.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.52
13.78
-74.46%

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

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rome
$881
Ubud, Bali
$676 23.3% $206
Groceries & Markets
Rome
$329
Ubud, Bali
$290 11.8% $39
Eating Out
Rome
$251
Ubud, Bali
$109 56.7% $142
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rome
$246
Ubud, Bali
$108 56.2% $138
Clothing & Footwear
Rome
$141
Ubud, Bali
$108 23.9% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Rome
$88
Ubud, Bali
$65 26.9% $24
Getting Around
Rome
$61
Ubud, Bali
$13 79.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,222 in Rome and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 1080% 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: $66.0 in Rome vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $290 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Rome
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
07:34 7:34 AM
13:34 1:34 PM
6 h ahead of Rome
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,848,084 Capital
74,800
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rome Ubud, Bali 11,690 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rome
  • 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
Rome vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rome or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Rome. 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 Rome or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 1080% higher in Rome, 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 Rome compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,222 in Rome versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Rome compared to Ubud, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $1,998 per month in Rome versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Rome compared to Ubud, Bali?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 345% less than in Rome. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Rome or in Ubud, Bali?
At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,998 in Rome, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Rome or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How safe is Rome compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Rome 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 46% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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