Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Shah Alam: $937 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index
66

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

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Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$937

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $937 per month in Shah Alam vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Shah Alam $937
Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $1,432 per month in Shah Alam vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Shah Alam $1,432
Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $1,927 per month in Shah Alam vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Shah Alam $1,927
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Shah Alam is about 31% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shah Alam sits 31% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 MYR 15.07

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

14.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.56 MYR 79.8

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

-43.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.05 MYR 16.52

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

-28.95%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.17

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

13.74%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-58.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

-53.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.86

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 MYR 17.69

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

-0.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.63

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

19.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-50.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.05

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

25.42%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.12

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 MYR 56.8

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-21.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.81

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

15.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.48 MYR 38.67

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

-20.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 14.08

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.71

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.20

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

19.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.40

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

-4.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

-32.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.26

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

44.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.35

$0.53 Rp 9,509

9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

90.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.51 MYR 75.5

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.90

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 18.15

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

49.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.07

$0.23 Rp 4,112

226.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.00 MYR 65.3

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

79.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.05

$0.47 Rp 8,466

163.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.53

$0.43 Rp 7,737

-13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.51

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

32.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.26

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

-3.61%

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

$46.1K MYR 188.3K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

93.29%

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

$36.2K MYR 147.7K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

10.42%

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

$37.60 MYR 153

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

-52.99%

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

$10.01 MYR 40.84

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

52.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.97 MYR 118

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

55.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.53 MYR 165

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-25.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.02 MYR 20.48

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

-72.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 MYR 26.17

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

50.82%

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

$196 MYR 800

$493 Rp 8.9M

-60.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,644 MYR 18.9K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

-17.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MYR 238

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

28.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MYR 163

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

14.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 MYR 276

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

-12.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.5 MYR 279

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

-12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 MYR 1,384

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-70.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 MYR 1,258

$673 Rp 12.1M

-54.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 MYR 2,322

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-84.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 MYR 2,255

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-67.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,519 MYR 6,197

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

-44.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 MYR 4,772

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-47.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 MYR 5,076

$166 Rp 3.0M

647.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

13.78

-70.68%

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

Last update for Shah Alam: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shah Alam

$308 32.9%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 118% $365

Groceries & Markets

Shah Alam

$263 28.1%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 9.1% $24

Eating Out

Shah Alam

$108 11.5%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 1.1% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Shah Alam

$106 11.3%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 1% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shah Alam

$77 8.2%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 37.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Shah Alam

$53 5.7%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 17.4% $9.3

Getting Around

Shah Alam

$22 2.4%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 43.8% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $339 in Shah Alam 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 648% higher in Shah 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 $20.00 in Shah Alam versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $287 – making Shah Alam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

Same time as Shah Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

812,327

74,800

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 20, 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 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shah Alam Ubud, Bali 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Shah 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

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

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,405 per month in Shah Alam 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 Shah Alam, 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 $20.00 in Shah Alam 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 $937 in Shah Alam and $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 44%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shah Alam, where all-in costs run around $937, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Shah Alam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shah Alam – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Shah 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.