Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Tainan
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,068
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Tainan $1,068
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Tainan versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Tainan $1,837
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,606 in Tainan versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Tainan $2,606
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Tainan costs roughly 22% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tainan is 21% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.74 NT$121
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
12.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.62 NT$799
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
-30.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.79 NT$155
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
-17.41%
Cappuccino
$3.27 NT$106
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
19.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 NT$30.66
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-42.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 NT$20.54
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-24.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.86 NT$92.6
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
5.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 NT$113
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-18.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.09 NT$100
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
106.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 NT$57.5
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-23.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.15 NT$102
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
166.95%
Eggs
$2.75 NT$89.3
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
28.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.50 NT$632
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
11.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.88 NT$320
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
145.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.04 NT$682
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
72.04%
Apples (1kg)
$4.96 NT$161
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
39.72%
Banana (1kg)
$2.86 NT$92.7
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
82.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.00 NT$97.4
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
33.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.48 NT$145
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
132.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.66 NT$86.4
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
41.49%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 NT$73.6
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-0.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 NT$55.3
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
72.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 NT$37.31
$0.53 Rp 9,475
116.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.81 NT$124
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
67.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.94 NT$452
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-39.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 NT$53.4
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-29.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 NT$70.3
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-25.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 NT$19.68
$0.24 Rp 4,315
154.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.89 NT$1,099
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
284.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.53 NT$82.2
$0.48 Rp 8,684
427.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.77 NT$24.92
$0.46 Rp 8,233
67.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.74 NT$186
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
5.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 NT$32.90
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
14.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K NT$1.1M
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
33.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K NT$780.6K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-22.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.2 NT$2,828
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
5.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.51 NT$568
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
171.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.30 NT$691
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
14.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.65 NT$1,480
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-18.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 NT$311
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
119.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$433 NT$14.1K
$493 Rp 8.9M
-12.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,413 NT$175.5K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
-5.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 NT$2,050
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
36.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.20 NT$1,271
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
10.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.7 NT$2,716
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
5.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 NT$3,353
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
31.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$297 NT$9,624
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-74.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$200 NT$6,470
$676 Rp 12.2M
-70.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$845 NT$27.4K
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-75.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$696 NT$22.6K
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-59.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,123 NT$133.7K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
48.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,022 NT$98.0K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
34.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tainan
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,376 NT$44.6K
$165 Rp 3.0M
736.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.4
13.78
-82.58%

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

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Tainan
$393
Ubud, Bali
$290 26.2% $103
Accommodation & Living
Tainan
$200
Ubud, Bali
$676 239% $476
Clothing & Footwear
Tainan
$130
Ubud, Bali
$108 17.5% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tainan
$126
Ubud, Bali
$108 14.3% $18
Eating Out
Tainan
$111
Ubud, Bali
$109 2.1% $2.3
Sport & Entertainment
Tainan
$65
Ubud, Bali
$65 0.4% $0.3
Getting Around
Tainan
$43
Ubud, Bali
$13 70.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Tainan and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tainan pays 736% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Tainan vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $290, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇼 Tainan
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
08:15 8:15 AM
08:15 8:15 AM
Same time as Tainan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,886,033
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 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
  • Tainan Ubud, Bali 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tainan
  • 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
Tainan vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tainan and in Ubud, Bali?
Tainan and Ubud, Bali differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,068 vs $1,368 including rent). Tainan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Tainan or Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 736% higher in Tainan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Tainan and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $297 in Tainan versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Ubud, Bali pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Tainan – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tainan but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Tainan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tainan and 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.
Is Tainan or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Tainan and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Tainan or Ubud, Bali?
Expats usually find Tainan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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