Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ruwais and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,825 in Ruwais, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Ruwais
Learn more

Ruwais Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Ruwais

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,825

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Ruwais versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Ruwais $1,825
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,369 in Ruwais versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Ruwais $3,369
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,913 in Ruwais versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Ruwais $4,913
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Ruwais is roughly 35% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.31 AED 34.20

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

180.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 AED 202

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

54.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 AED 31.08

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

52.98%

Cappuccino

$4.69 AED 17.22

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

72.43%

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

$0.70 AED 2.58

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-58.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 AED 1.29

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-53.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.28 AED 30.39

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

212.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 AED 24.67

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

53.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 AED 6.48

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 AED 6.09

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 AED 8.40

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

92.44%

Eggs

$2.89 AED 10.62

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 AED 34.28

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

-47.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.37 AED 41.77

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

187.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 AED 34.18

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

-23.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 AED 10.54

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 AED 7.39

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

32.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.08

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-13.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 AED 6.90

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

-4.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.37

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 AED 4.71

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-47.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

-19.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 AED 1.90

$0.51 Rp 9,336

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

184.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 AED 44.26

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

-45.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 AED 9.31

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 AED 10.22

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-6.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 AED 7.90

$0.25 Rp 4,564

760.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.45 AED 127

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

340.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 AED 8.64

$0.44 Rp 7,992

434.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 AED 4.17

$0.43 Rp 7,821

165.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 AED 29.51

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

48.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 AED 3.13

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

3.66%

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

$45.6K AED 167.3K

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

91.12%

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

$21.9K AED 80.3K

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

-31.16%

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

$114 AED 419

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

44.23%

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

$48.60 AED 178

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

653.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$96.7 AED 355

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

420.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 AED 213

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

17.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.93 AED 106

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

63.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 AED 49.87

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

218.03%

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

$570 AED 2,094

$491 Rp 8.9M

16.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,432 AED 27.3K

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

30.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.54 AED 160

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

-2.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 AED 204

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

59.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 AED 257

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

-12.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 375

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

28.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 AED 2,979

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

-27.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 AED 3,022

$671 Rp 12.2M

22.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,854 AED 6,808

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-47.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 AED 9,971

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

57.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,946 AED 18.2K

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

81.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 AED 8,424

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

0.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,760 AED 10.1K

$164 Rp 3.0M

1584.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-63.72%

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

Last update for Ruwais: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ruwais

$823 45.1%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 18.4% $151

Groceries & Markets

Ruwais

$269 14.8%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 7.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ruwais

$259 14.2%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 59.9% $155

Eating Out

Ruwais

$215 11.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 50% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Ruwais

$122 6.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 12% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ruwais

$85 4.7%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 31.9% $27

Getting Around

Ruwais

$51 2.8%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 77.6% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $811 in Ruwais and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ruwais pays about 17 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Ruwais vs $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $288, with Ruwais cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ruwais

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

4 h ahead of Ruwais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

74,800

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ruwais Ubud, Bali 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ruwais
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

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Ruwais. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Ruwais is about 17 times higher, 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: $811 in Ruwais versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $570 in Ruwais versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ruwais pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ruwais and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Ruwais on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.