Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Saitama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,007
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,007 per month in Saitama vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Saitama $1,007
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $1,330 per month in Saitama vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Saitama $1,330
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $1,653 per month in Saitama vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Saitama $1,653
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Saitama is about 26% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Saitama sits 26% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.55 ¥876
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
71.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.14 ¥4,920
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
-10.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.86 ¥768
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
-14.74%
Cappuccino
$3.07 ¥486
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
17.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ¥114
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-58.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ¥103
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
-19.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.46 ¥389
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
-7.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ¥503
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-27.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 ¥229
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-7.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥260
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-25.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.68 ¥423
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
127.12%
Eggs
$2.00 ¥316
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
-7.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.14 ¥1,601
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-42.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.45 ¥861
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
44.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.44 ¥2,281
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
20.84%
Apples (1kg)
$5.58 ¥882
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
55.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 ¥355
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
41.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.84 ¥449
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
22.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.19 ¥662
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
119.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.61 ¥412
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
46.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 ¥247
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-33.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ¥197
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
25.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 ¥126
$0.53 Rp 9,509
50.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.70 ¥585
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
61.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.32 ¥999
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-71.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ¥274
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-25.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 ¥333
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-29.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.45 ¥545
$0.23 Rp 4,112
1400.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ¥492
$0.47 Rp 8,466
561.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.70 ¥427
$0.43 Rp 7,737
527.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.19 ¥3,190
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
269.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥174
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
32.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K ¥3.5M
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
-8.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.4K ¥2.3M
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-56.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$131 ¥20.7K
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
63.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.62 ¥2,784
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
168.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.87 ¥5,036
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
71.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.5 ¥9,721
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
13.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.12 ¥1,757
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
161.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$620 ¥97.9K
$493 Rp 8.9M
25.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ¥2.3M
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
165.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.90 ¥5,514
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
-23.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.61 ¥4,047
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
-26.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$55.5 ¥8,772
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
-28.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61.9 ¥9,773
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
-21.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$414 ¥65.3K
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-63.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ¥37.4K
$673 Rp 12.1M
-64.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saitama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,505 ¥237.7K
$166 Rp 3.0M
804.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.06
13.78
-85.05%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Saitama
$275
Ubud, Bali
$287 4.3% $12
Accommodation & Living
Saitama
$237
Ubud, Bali
$673 184% $436
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saitama
$181
Ubud, Bali
$105 41.8% $75
Eating Out
Saitama
$120
Ubud, Bali
$106 11.3% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Saitama
$84
Ubud, Bali
$63 25.3% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Saitama
$80
Ubud, Bali
$107 33.1% $26
Getting Around
Saitama
$30 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 59.1% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $414 in Saitama versus $1,131 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 804% higher in Saitama, 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 $31.00 in Saitama versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $287 – making Saitama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Saitama
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
20:39 8:39 PM
19:39 7:39 PM
1 h behind Saitama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,182,115
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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
  • Saitama Ubud, Bali 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saitama
  • 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
Saitama vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Saitama?
Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,510 per month in Saitama and $2,030 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Saitama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Saitama and in Ubud, Bali?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,007 in Saitama and $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 34%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $620 per month in Saitama and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Saitama or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,007, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Saitama or Ubud, Bali more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Saitama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Saitama or 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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Saitama. 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.

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