Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarawak and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $954 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$954

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $954 per month in Sarawak vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sarawak $954
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $1,408 per month in Sarawak vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sarawak $1,408
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Sarawak vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sarawak $1,862
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Sarawak is about 29% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.64

$3.32 Rp 59.9K

7.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.96 MYR 81.6

$35.64 Rp 642.4K

-44.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 19.22

$5.53 Rp 99.7K

-15.01%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.10

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

8.82%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.14

$1.70 Rp 30.7K

-54.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.60

$0.76 Rp 13.7K

-48.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 MYR 16.13

$2.65 Rp 47.8K

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 MYR 18.69

$4.38 Rp 79.0K

4.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MYR 7.15

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

17.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 MYR 4.99

$2.28 Rp 41.0K

-46.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.55

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

14.29%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 9.22

$2.04 Rp 36.7K

10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.46 MYR 59.1

$17.70 Rp 319.1K

-18.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MYR 16.63

$3.96 Rp 71.4K

2.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.26

$12.19 Rp 219.7K

-19.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MYR 11.85

$3.66 Rp 65.9K

-20.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.91

$1.52 Rp 27.4K

-4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 MYR 9.75

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

6.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

-33.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.04

$1.85 Rp 33.3K

-33.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.08

$2.42 Rp 43.7K

-48.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.90

$0.51 Rp 9,255

-9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MYR 17.46

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

92.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MYR 68.9

$22.24 Rp 400.9K

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.97

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

29.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MYR 16.45

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

35.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$0.25 Rp 4,525

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.56 MYR 43.17

$7.82 Rp 141.0K

35.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$0.44 Rp 7,923

154.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.43 Rp 7,753

18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.93 MYR 28.30

$5.41 Rp 97.5K

28.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.16

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

-6.10%

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

$50.4K MYR 205.9K

$23.8K Rp 429.7M

111.28%

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

$39.9K MYR 163.0K

$31.7K Rp 572.3M

25.60%

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

$52.9 MYR 216

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-33.05%

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

$10.66 MYR 43.56

$6.45 Rp 116.2K

65.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.13 MYR 119

$18.58 Rp 334.9K

56.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 MYR 164

$49.48 Rp 892.0K

-19.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.22 MYR 29.52

$17.65 Rp 318.1K

-59.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 MYR 22.90

$4.27 Rp 77.0K

31.15%

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

$241 MYR 984

$491 Rp 8.8M

-50.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,956 MYR 28.4K

$5,674 Rp 102.3M

22.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 MYR 237

$44.64 Rp 804.7K

30.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.97 MYR 122

$34.95 Rp 630.1K

-14.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 356

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

8.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 MYR 310

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 MYR 1,674

$1,125 Rp 20.3M

-63.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,301

$671 Rp 12.1M

-52.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 MYR 2,879

$3,565 Rp 64.3M

-80.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 MYR 2,006

$1,723 Rp 31.1M

-71.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,170 MYR 8,868

$2,732 Rp 49.2M

-20.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,323 MYR 5,409

$2,284 Rp 41.2M

-42.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 MYR 1,425

$164 Rp 3.0M

112.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

13.78

-70.54%

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

Last update for Sarawak: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarawak

$318 33.4%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 111% $353

Groceries & Markets

Sarawak

$249 26.1%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 15.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sarawak

$113 11.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 4.8% $5.4

Eating Out

Sarawak

$112 11.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 3.7% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarawak

$93 9.7%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 12.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sarawak

$51 5.4%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 13.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Sarawak

$17 1.8%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 33.7% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $410 in Sarawak versus $1,125 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 in Sarawak are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $20 in Sarawak versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $288 – making Sarawak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

Same time as Sarawak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,066 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarawak Ubud, Bali 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarawak
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $954 in Sarawak, $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Sarawak and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarawak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $410 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $241 per month in Sarawak and $491 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sarawak, where all-in costs run around $954, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Sarawak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sarawak – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.