Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setia Alam and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $913 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Setia Alam
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$913
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Setia Alam vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Setia Alam $913
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,358 per month in Setia Alam vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Setia Alam $1,358
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $1,803 per month in Setia Alam vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Setia Alam $1,803
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Setia Alam is about 33% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Setia Alam sits 32% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.81 MYR 19.61
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
44.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.57 MYR 100
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
-30.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.96 MYR 20.22
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
-14.48%
Cappuccino
$2.76 MYR 11.27
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
1.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 MYR 3.23
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-51.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 MYR 1.93
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-43.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.32 MYR 17.63
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
60.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.01 MYR 24.50
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
39.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 MYR 6.09
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
-0.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.72 MYR 2.92
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-68.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.59 MYR 2.42
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-50.00%
Eggs
$1.20 MYR 4.91
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
-43.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.82 MYR 56.4
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-20.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.41 MYR 9.83
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
-40.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.41 MYR 9.83
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-80.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.24 MYR 5.04
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-65.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 MYR 7.47
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
16.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.25 MYR 5.11
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-44.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.20 MYR 4.91
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
-37.82%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 MYR 2.89
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-62.23%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 MYR 3.03
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-67.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 MYR 2.87
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
-29.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 MYR 2.95
$0.53 Rp 9,475
35.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 MYR 17.64
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
89.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.60 MYR 80.0
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-14.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.59 MYR 14.64
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
53.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.86 MYR 19.84
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
67.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 MYR 3.08
$0.24 Rp 4,315
216.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.31 MYR 50.2
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
39.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.24 MYR 5.06
$0.48 Rp 8,684
158.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 MYR 4.88
$0.46 Rp 8,233
160.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.78 MYR 19.49
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
-12.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.48 MYR 1.95
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
-45.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K MYR 159.9K
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
59.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K MYR 134.7K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
5.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.2 MYR 250
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
-26.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.52 MYR 34.77
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
32.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.04 MYR 106
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
40.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.73 MYR 203
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-10.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.97 MYR 28.44
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-61.51%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MYR 20.82
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
16.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$135 MYR 551
$493 Rp 8.9M
-72.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,885 MYR 32.2K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
37.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.7 MYR 296
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
57.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.31 MYR 111
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
-22.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.8 MYR 220
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-31.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.56 MYR 149
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
-53.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$529 MYR 2,160
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-53.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$323 MYR 1,319
$676 Rp 12.2M
-52.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$873 MYR 3,562
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-75.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$549 MYR 2,238
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-67.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,992 MYR 8,128
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-28.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,102 MYR 4,498
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-50.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Setia Alam
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,143 MYR 4,663
$165 Rp 3.0M
594.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
13.78
-70.97%

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

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Setia Alam
$323
Ubud, Bali
$676 109% $352
Groceries & Markets
Setia Alam
$200
Ubud, Bali
$290 45.1% $90
Eating Out
Setia Alam
$125
Ubud, Bali
$109 13.1% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Setia Alam
$96
Ubud, Bali
$108 12.8% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Setia Alam
$86
Ubud, Bali
$108 25.6% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Setia Alam
$60
Ubud, Bali
$65 7.8% $4.6
Getting Around
Setia Alam
$23
Ubud, Bali
$13 44.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Setia Alam versus $1,142 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 595% higher in Setia Alam, 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 $25.00 in Setia Alam versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $290 – making Setia Alam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Setia Alam
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
23:52 11:52 PM
23:52 11:52 PM
Same time as Setia Alam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
150,000
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 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
  • Setia Alam Ubud, Bali 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Setia Alam
  • 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
Setia Alam vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Setia Alam or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali costs about 50% more than Setia Alam, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Setia Alam and in Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Setia Alam and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Setia Alam or Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Setia Alam, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How expensive is transport in Setia Alam compared to Ubud, Bali?
Public transport costs about 40% less in Setia Alam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Setia Alam and in Ubud, Bali?
Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Setia Alam and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Setia Alam or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Setia Alam, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Setia Alam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Setia Alam or Ubud, Bali?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Setia Alam costs $913 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Setia Alam compared to 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.
Should I move to Setia Alam or to Ubud, Bali?
If budget matters most, go with Setia Alam. 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.

Setia Alam vs other spots: cost of living compared

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