Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Taichung, Taiwan
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Taichung
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,112
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Taichung $1,112
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Taichung $1,856
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Taichung $2,601
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Taichung costs roughly 18% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.69 NT$153
$3.32 Rp 60.2K
41.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.30 NT$1,021
$35.64 Rp 645.8K
-12.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.64 NT$151
$5.53 Rp 100.3K
-16.09%
Cappuccino
$2.89 NT$94.4
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
6.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 NT$33.52
$1.70 Rp 30.8K
-39.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 NT$24.62
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.50 NT$48.83
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
-43.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 NT$86.8
$4.38 Rp 79.4K
-39.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.08 NT$101
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
106.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.65 NT$53.7
$2.28 Rp 41.2K
-27.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 NT$84.3
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
117.65%
Eggs
$2.54 NT$82.9
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
24.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.53 NT$930
$17.70 Rp 320.8K
61.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.76 NT$253
$3.96 Rp 71.8K
95.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.59 NT$541
$12.19 Rp 220.9K
36.10%
Apples (1kg)
$4.21 NT$137
$3.66 Rp 66.2K
15.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 NT$63.2
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
27.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.01 NT$98.2
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
34.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 NT$69.5
$1.97 Rp 35.7K
8.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 NT$39.53
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
-34.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.93 NT$63.0
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
-20.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.25 NT$73.5
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
127.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 NT$29.05
$0.51 Rp 9,303
74.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 NT$124
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
70.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.10 NT$492
$22.24 Rp 403.0K
-32.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 NT$52.0
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
-29.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 NT$79.1
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
-18.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.63 NT$20.59
$0.25 Rp 4,548
152.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.67 NT$609
$7.82 Rp 141.8K
138.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.58 NT$84.0
$0.44 Rp 7,964
486.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 NT$29.30
$0.43 Rp 7,793
109.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.19 NT$300
$5.41 Rp 98.0K
69.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 NT$33.92
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
26.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K NT$1.2M
$23.8K Rp 432.0M
47.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K NT$725.0K
$31.7K Rp 575.3M
-29.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 NT$3,981
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
54.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.52 NT$473
$6.45 Rp 116.8K
125.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.46 NT$667
$18.58 Rp 336.7K
10.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.28 NT$1,020
$49.48 Rp 896.7K
-36.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.39 NT$372
$17.65 Rp 319.8K
-35.47%
Cinema Ticket
$10.22 NT$333
$4.27 Rp 77.4K
139.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$326 NT$10.6K
$491 Rp 8.9M
-33.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K NT$536.4K
$5,674 Rp 102.8M
189.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.8 NT$2,340
$44.64 Rp 808.9K
60.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.78 NT$1,167
$34.95 Rp 633.4K
2.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.7 NT$2,662
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
2.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 NT$3,610
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
39.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$382 NT$12.5K
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
-66.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$266 NT$8,667
$671 Rp 12.2M
-60.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,188 NT$38.7K
$3,565 Rp 64.6M
-66.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$739 NT$24.1K
$1,723 Rp 31.2M
-57.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,811 NT$189.5K
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
112.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,266 NT$139.1K
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
86.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taichung
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,400 NT$45.6K
$164 Rp 3.0M
754.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.27
13.78
-83.53%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Taichung
$368
Ubud, Bali
$288 21.5% $79
Accommodation & Living
Taichung
$266
Ubud, Bali
$672 153% $406
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
$157
Ubud, Bali
$104 33.7% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
$135
Ubud, Bali
$108 20.3% $27
Eating Out
Taichung
$106
Ubud, Bali
$108 1.5% $1.5
Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
$52
Ubud, Bali
$58 12.2% $6.3
Getting Around
Taichung
$28
Ubud, Bali
$11 59.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays about 8.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Taichung vs $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $288, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇼 Taichung
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
02:02 2:02 AM
02:02 2:02 AM
Same time as Taichung
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,767,239
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Taichung Ubud, Bali 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Taichung
  • 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
Taichung vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Taichung or Ubud, Bali?
Taichung wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taichung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Taichung or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay in Taichung is about 8.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Taichung compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $382 in Taichung versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Taichung and in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Taichung – a meal for two runs $31 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Taichung compared to Ubud, Bali?
All in, you’ll spend $1,112 per month in Taichung versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Taichung is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Taichung or in Ubud, Bali?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taichung is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Taichung or Ubud, Bali?
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.
How safe is Taichung compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Taichung and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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