Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,829 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
64

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

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,829

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,829 per month in Seoul vs $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Seoul $1,829
Ubud, Bali $1,331

A couple spends around $2,973 per month in Seoul vs $2,255 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Seoul $2,973
Ubud, Bali $2,255

A family of three spends $4,116 per month in Seoul vs $3,180 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Seoul $4,116
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Seoul costs about 37% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 35% above the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

162.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 ₩93.4K

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

100.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 ₩10.1K

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

34.65%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₩5,437

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

54.20%

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

$1.56 ₩2,094

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

1.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₩986

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

14.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ₩4,917

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 ₩7,906

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₩2,800

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

42.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 ₩4,048

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

31.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 ₩5,628

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

276.58%

Eggs

$3.63 ₩4,888

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

72.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.87 ₩24.0K

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₩13.9K

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

165.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩35.2K

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

129.56%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,977

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

109.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,643

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

124.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.60 ₩7,528

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

151.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 ₩8,458

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

219.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,846

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

93.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,372

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

3.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 ₩3,731

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

171.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,535

$0.52 Rp 9,475

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,604

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

55.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ₩25.0K

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

-14.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,100

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

-1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ₩4,496

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₩1,506

$0.25 Rp 4,542

348.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.78 ₩62.9K

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

472.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,842

$0.44 Rp 7,941

718.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩809

$0.47 Rp 8,489

27.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

58.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₩2,005

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

79.52%

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

$29.7K ₩39.9M

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

21.43%

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

$28.0K ₩37.6M

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

-11.71%

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

$216 ₩290.3K

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

178.55%

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

$34.52 ₩46.4K

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

462.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.34 ₩27.4K

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

7.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 ₩79.6K

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

16.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 ₩21.4K

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

-12.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 ₩14.8K

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

151.37%

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

$1,962 ₩2.6M

$492 Rp 8.9M

298.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ₩35.3M

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

114.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₩83.8K

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

37.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.82 ₩45.5K

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

-3.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 ₩91.3K

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

-13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 ₩111.5K

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 ₩1.2M

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

-14.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₩879.3K

$665 Rp 12.1M

-1.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 ₩4.2M

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

-11.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 ₩2.0M

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

-12.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K ₩38.2M

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

1113.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K ₩15.3M

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

408.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,496 ₩4.7M

$166 Rp 3.0M

2001.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

13.78

-70.39%

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

Last update for Seoul: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$654 35.7%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 1.7% $11

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$474 25.9%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 41% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$271 14.8%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 62.1% $168

Eating Out

Seoul

$181 9.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 41.6% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$111 6.1%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 4.3% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.4%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 26.4% $21

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 79.4% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in Seoul versus $1,078 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 Seoul are about 21 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Seoul versus $35 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $474 vs $279 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 1,504 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Ubud, Bali 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
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

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

Seoul costs about 37% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,744 per month in Seoul and $1,996 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $918 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,962 per month in Seoul and $492 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,829 in Seoul and $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,331 in Ubud, Bali to $1,829 in Seoul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.