Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schenectady, NY and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,516 in Schenectady, NY, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Schenectady, NY
Learn more

Schenectady, NY Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Schenectady, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,516

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,516 in Schenectady, NY versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Schenectady, NY $2,516
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,503 in Schenectady, NY versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Schenectady, NY $3,503
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,491 in Schenectady, NY versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Schenectady, NY $4,491
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Schenectady, NY is roughly 87% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

496.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

108.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

135.80%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

95.59%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

57.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

181.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

125.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

103.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-28.86%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

91.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

277.31%

Eggs

$5.13 $5.13

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

151.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-62.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.20 $15.20

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

283.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.49 $18.49

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

51.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

35.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

-42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

140.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

141.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

77.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-55.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

125.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.51 Rp 9,332

288.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.43 $13.43

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

504.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 $13.90

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-4.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.25 Rp 4,562

504.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 $55.1

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

604.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$0.44 Rp 7,989

1025.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.43 Rp 7,817

227.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

451.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

26.83%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

15.00%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-16.11%

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

$212 $212

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

167.95%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

1000.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.4 $88.4

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

375.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 $70.6

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

42.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

Cinema Ticket

$12.40 $12.40

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

190.40%

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

$1,497 $1,497

$491 Rp 8.9M

205.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K $16.8K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

196.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.80 $39.80

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

-10.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.47 $40.47

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

15.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

41.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 $1,296

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 $1,106

$671 Rp 12.2M

64.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,194 $2,194

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-38.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-16.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 $2,585

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-5.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,610 $2,610

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

14.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,782 $3,782

$164 Rp 3.0M

2208.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

13.78

-52.76%

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

Last update for Schenectady, NY: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schenectady, NY

$1.1K 44%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 39.3% $435

Groceries & Markets

Schenectady, NY

$407 16.2%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 29.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schenectady, NY

$371 14.8%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 72% $267

Eating Out

Schenectady, NY

$328 13.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 67.2% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Schenectady, NY

$135 5.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 20.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Schenectady, NY

$95 3.8%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 39.2% $37

Getting Around

Schenectady, NY

$73 2.9%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 84.4% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,296 in Schenectady, NY and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schenectady, NY pays about 23 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Schenectady, NY vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Schenectady, NY

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

04:36 4:36 AM

12 h ahead of Schenectady, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,047

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Schenectady, NY Ubud, Bali 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Schenectady, NY
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

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Schenectady, NY. 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 Schenectady, NY is about 23 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: $1,296 in Schenectady, NY versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 86% less than in Schenectady, NY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,497 in Schenectady, NY versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Schenectady, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.