Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index
67

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

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Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $589 in Taiyuan versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Taiyuan $589
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $913 in Taiyuan versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Taiyuan $913
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,238 in Taiyuan versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Taiyuan $1,238
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Taiyuan costs roughly 57% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taiyuan is 56% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.21

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

-31.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.4

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-58.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.37

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-24.14%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.60

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-3.30%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-71.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-65.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-54.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-29.66%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.75

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-52.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥86.9

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

6.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-47.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-12.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-63.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-39.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-74.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-87.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.53 Rp 9,475

-13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.72

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

29.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.5

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-67.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-62.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-50.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.24 Rp 4,315

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.1

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

54.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$0.48 Rp 8,684

145.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.46 Rp 8,233

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.88

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-31.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

42.05%

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

$20.0K ¥133.4K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

-18.67%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-43.77%

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

$94.3 ¥630

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

13.62%

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

$10.27 ¥68.6

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

59.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

-31.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.5

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-51.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

51.60%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥184

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-40.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

90.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥494

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-6.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,488

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-80.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥759

$676 Rp 12.2M

-83.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,714

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-84.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,730

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-84.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-5.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-44.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,194

$165 Rp 3.0M

463.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

13.78

-72.21%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 7.9% $9.3

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 494% $562

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 182% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 4.8% $4.9

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 42.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 10.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 27.1% $4.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Taiyuan and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taiyuan pays 464% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15.00 in Taiyuan vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $290 per month, with Taiyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

74,800

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Taiyuan Ubud, Bali 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
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

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

Taiyuan wins on cost – living expenses run 132% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taiyuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 464% higher in Taiyuan, 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: $223 in Taiyuan versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taiyuan – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Taiyuan runs roughly 55% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $589 in Taiyuan versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taiyuan but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Taiyuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Taiyuan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $589 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Taiyuan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Taiyuan 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.

Expats usually find Taiyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.