Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shimla and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $310 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Shimla, India
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Shimla
🇮🇳 India
$310
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $310 per month in Shimla vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Shimla $310
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $504 per month in Shimla vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Shimla $504
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $698 per month in Shimla vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Shimla $698
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Shimla is about 77% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.56 ₹149
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
-53.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.47 ₹997
$35.64 Rp 647.8K
-70.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.09 ₹295
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
-44.12%
Cappuccino
$0.92 ₹87.3
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
-66.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₹32.20
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
-80.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.11 ₹10.42
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
-85.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.64 ₹156
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
-38.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 ₹197
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
-52.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.67 ₹64.2
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
-55.03%
White Bread (500g)
$0.42 ₹40.36
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
-81.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.63 ₹60.4
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
-47.06%
Eggs
$0.89 ₹85.1
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
-56.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 ₹412
$17.70 Rp 321.7K
-75.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.18 ₹303
$3.96 Rp 72.0K
-19.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$12.19 Rp 221.6K
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 ₹178
$3.66 Rp 66.4K
-48.91%
Banana (1kg)
$0.76 ₹72.1
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
-50.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.63 ₹60.1
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
-71.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.48 ₹45.51
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
-75.63%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 ₹28.72
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
-83.78%
Onion (1kg)
$0.36 ₹34.35
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
-85.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.22 ₹20.99
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
-77.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.27 ₹25.62
$0.51 Rp 9,332
-47.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₹322
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
52.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.57 ₹816
$22.24 Rp 404.2K
-61.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₹147
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
-31.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ₹194
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
-31.31%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$3.80 ₹362
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 ₹20.98
$0.25 Rp 4,562
-12.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.84 ₹747
$7.82 Rp 142.2K
0.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 ₹102
$0.44 Rp 7,989
143.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 ₹31.93
$0.43 Rp 7,817
-20.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 ₹97.4
$5.41 Rp 98.3K
-81.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ₹104
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
32.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$8,462 ₹805.8K
$23.8K Rp 433.3M
-64.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.1K ₹1.7M
$31.7K Rp 577.0M
-43.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$18.17 ₹1,730
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-77.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.13 ₹298
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
-51.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.02 ₹669
$18.58 Rp 337.7K
-62.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.85 ₹1,319
$49.48 Rp 899.4K
-72.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.63 ₹1,012
$17.65 Rp 320.8K
-39.77%
Cinema Ticket
$3.07 ₹292
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
-28.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$42.11 ₹4,010
$491 Rp 8.9M
-91.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,173 ₹206.9K
$5,674 Rp 103.1M
-61.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.76 ₹2,357
$44.64 Rp 811.4K
-44.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.97 ₹2,092
$34.95 Rp 635.3K
-37.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$39.31 ₹3,744
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
-50.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$26.41 ₹2,515
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
-66.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$86.4 ₹8,222
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
-92.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$53.3 ₹5,075
$671 Rp 12.2M
-92.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$199 ₹18.9K
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
-94.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$125 ₹11.9K
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-92.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$563 ₹53.6K
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
-79.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$563 ₹53.6K
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
-75.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shimla
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$612 ₹58.3K
$164 Rp 3.0M
273.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.25
13.78
-40.13%

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

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Shimla
$99
Ubud, Bali
$288 190% $189
Accommodation & Living
Shimla
$53
Ubud, Bali
$672 1160% $618
Clothing & Footwear
Shimla
$51
Ubud, Bali
$108 112% $57
Eating Out
Shimla
$47
Ubud, Bali
$108 130% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shimla
$28
Ubud, Bali
$104 268% $76
Sport & Entertainment
Shimla
$20
Ubud, Bali
$58 190% $38
Getting Around
Shimla
$11
Ubud, Bali
$11 0.4% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $86 in Shimla versus $1,125 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 Shimla are about 3.7 times higher, 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 $10 in Shimla versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $99 vs $288 – making Shimla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Shimla
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
03:43 3:43 AM
06:13 6:13 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Shimla
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
170,000
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shimla Ubud, Bali 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Shimla
  • 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
Shimla vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Shimla and in Ubud, Bali compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $310 in Shimla, $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Shimla comes out roughly 77% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Shimla compared to Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $465 per month in Shimla and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Shimla and Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shimla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $86 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Shimla and $36 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 190% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shimla, where all-in costs run around $310, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Shimla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Shimla or Ubud, Bali?
Families tend to lean toward Shimla – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Shimla or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Shimla vs other spots: cost of living compared

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