Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index
66

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

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Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,161 per month in Sendai vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sendai $1,161
Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $1,835 per month in Sendai vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sendai $1,835
Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $2,510 per month in Sendai vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sendai $2,510
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Sendai is about 14% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Sendai sits 14% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 ¥984

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

92.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 ¥5,474

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

-0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥711

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

-21.05%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

38.17%

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

$0.94 ¥149

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-45.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

-29.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

-26.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥227

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-34.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,048

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

462.71%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

-3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 ¥1,721

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-38.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 ¥1,881

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

215.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥1,422

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

-24.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥560

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-1.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

38.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 ¥707

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

93.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥512

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

69.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

44.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ¥222

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

41.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥198

$0.53 Rp 9,509

135.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥701

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

93.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 ¥1,107

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-68.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥248

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-33.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.23 Rp 4,112

539.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 ¥5,886

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

318.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 ¥826

$0.47 Rp 8,466

1012.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.42 ¥2,910

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

236.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

27.71%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

-33.69%

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

$24.8K ¥3.9M

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-24.29%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

72.46%

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

$30.52 ¥4,822

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

365.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 ¥5,495

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

86.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.60 ¥7,046

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-17.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 ¥2,029

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

-29.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ¥1,590

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

136.94%

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

$229 ¥36.2K

$493 Rp 8.9M

-53.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,792 ¥599.0K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

-32.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥8,868

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

23.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.92 ¥5,359

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

-2.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.34 ¥5,583

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

-54.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.5 ¥8,455

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

-31.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥88.4K

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$673 Rp 12.1M

-51.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ¥109.4K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-80.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.9K

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-58.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 ¥416.8K

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

-2.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 ¥225.0K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-36.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ¥157.3K

$166 Rp 3.0M

498.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

13.78

-80.19%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$327 28.2%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 106% $346

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$308 26.5%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 6.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$203 17.5%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 48.3% $98

Eating Out

Sendai

$129 11.1%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 17.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 32.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 3.3% $2.1

Getting Around

Sendai

$48 * 4.2%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 74.3% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $560 in Sendai 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 499% higher in Sendai, 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 $35.00 in Sendai versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $308 in Sendai vs $287 in Ubud, Bali – so Ubud, Bali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

1 h behind Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

74,800

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sendai Ubud, Bali 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sendai
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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 17% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,742 per month in Sendai and $2,030 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sendai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Sendai and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,161 in Sendai and $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sendai, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Sendai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sendai costs $1,161 versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Sendai. 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.