Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,726 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
65

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

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Sharjah versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Sharjah $1,726
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Sharjah versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Sharjah $2,594
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,462 in Sharjah versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Sharjah $3,462
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Sharjah is roughly 28% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.58

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

77.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.16 AED 118

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

-9.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.87

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

47.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$3.12 AED 11.46

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

14.71%

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

$0.75 AED 2.75

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-55.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-59.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

6.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

-47.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.70

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

52.94%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.20

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

62.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 AED 31.77

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

-51.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 AED 24.01

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

65.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

-5.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

-38.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

15.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.83

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-40.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 AED 4.50

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-37.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

-41.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.06

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 AED 5.20

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

43.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.18

$0.51 Rp 9,313

15.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 AED 24.14

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

195.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.79

$0.25 Rp 4,553

748.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.55 AED 101

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

252.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 AED 13.26

$0.44 Rp 7,972

720.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

$0.43 Rp 7,801

30.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 AED 44.19

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

122.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.58

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

18.29%

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

$44.1K AED 162.1K

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

85.14%

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

$21.0K AED 77.1K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

-33.87%

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

$212 AED 779

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

168.35%

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

$48.90 AED 180

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

658.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

427.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 199

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

9.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.44 AED 82.4

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

27.14%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 AED 50.8

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

223.65%

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

$340 AED 1,250

$491 Rp 8.9M

-30.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 AED 30.7K

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

47.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 AED 216

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

31.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AED 288

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

124.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 AED 396

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

34.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 AED 344

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

18.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 AED 2,996

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-27.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 AED 2,879

$671 Rp 12.2M

16.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 AED 6,723

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-48.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 AED 5,795

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-8.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 AED 27.3K

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

172.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 AED 9,368

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

11.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,219 AED 8,149

$164 Rp 3.0M

1254.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

13.78

-67.34%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$784 45.4%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 14.3% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$359 20.8%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 71% $255

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 11.2%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 49.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$152 8.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 29.5% $45

Eating Out

Sharjah

$113 6.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 4.8% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.8%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 29.2% $24

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.5%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 73.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $816 in Sharjah and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sharjah pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Sharjah vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $288 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

4 h ahead of Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

74,800

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sharjah Ubud, Bali 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharjah
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,726 in Sharjah and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, so Ubud, Bali is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sharjah is about 14 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: $816 in Sharjah versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sharjah – a meal for two runs $32 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,726 per month in Sharjah versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Safety-wise, Sharjah and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Sharjah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.