Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thanjavur and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Thanjavur: $369 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Thanjavur, India
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Thanjavur
🇮🇳 India
$369
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $369 in Thanjavur versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Thanjavur $369
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $579 in Thanjavur versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Thanjavur $579
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $789 in Thanjavur versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Thanjavur $789
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Thanjavur costs roughly 73% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.88 ₹178
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
-43.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$6.60 ₹627
$35.64 Rp 646.5K
-81.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.15 ₹394
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
-24.95%
Cappuccino
$1.81 ₹171
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
-33.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹34.86
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
-78.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ₹16.06
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
-77.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.76 ₹72.5
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
-71.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 ₹292
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
-29.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.55 ₹52.6
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
-63.09%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ₹48.82
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
-77.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.60 ₹57.1
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
-49.58%
Eggs
$0.60 ₹57.3
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
-70.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.25 ₹593
$17.70 Rp 321.1K
-64.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.15 ₹204
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
-45.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$12.19 Rp 221.1K
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ₹265
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
-23.50%
Banana (1kg)
$0.82 ₹78.0
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
-46.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ₹138
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
-34.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.42 ₹39.94
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
-78.68%
Potato (1kg)
$0.44 ₹42.14
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
-76.22%
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₹37.80
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
-83.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.54 ₹50.9
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
-45.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.62
$0.51 Rp 9,313
-41.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.39 ₹322
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
52.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.25 ₹689
$22.24 Rp 403.4K
-67.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₹126
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
-41.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 ₹267
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
-5.39%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.52 ₹619
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₹19.38
$0.25 Rp 4,553
-20.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.29 ₹692
$7.82 Rp 141.9K
-6.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 ₹96.8
$0.44 Rp 7,972
131.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 ₹29.30
$0.43 Rp 7,801
-27.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.11 ₹201
$5.41 Rp 98.1K
-61.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ₹104
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
32.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.4K ₹1.1M
$23.8K Rp 432.4M
-52.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K ₹1.9M
$31.7K Rp 575.9M
-35.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.70 ₹3,675
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-51.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.93 ₹373
$6.45 Rp 116.9K
-39.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.95 ₹755
$18.58 Rp 337.0K
-57.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.45 ₹1,372
$49.48 Rp 897.5K
-70.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.73 ₹639
$17.65 Rp 320.1K
-61.87%
Cinema Ticket
$2.31 ₹220
$4.27 Rp 77.5K
-45.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$86.5 ₹8,208
$491 Rp 8.9M
-82.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,160 ₹205.1K
$5,674 Rp 102.9M
-61.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.45 ₹1,942
$44.64 Rp 809.7K
-54.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.83 ₹1,598
$34.95 Rp 634.0K
-51.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$35.36 ₹3,357
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
-55.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$26.20 ₹2,488
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
-67.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$122 ₹11.6K
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
-89.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$76.2 ₹7,233
$671 Rp 12.2M
-88.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$262 ₹24.9K
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
-92.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$184 ₹17.5K
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-89.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$823 ₹78.2K
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
-69.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$605 ₹57.4K
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
-73.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thanjavur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$209 ₹19.8K
$164 Rp 3.0M
27.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.99
13.78
-27.50%

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

Last update for Thanjavur: 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
Thanjavur
$106
Ubud, Bali
$288 171% $182
Accommodation & Living
Thanjavur
$76
Ubud, Bali
$672 781% $595
Eating Out
Thanjavur
$61
Ubud, Bali
$108 75.8% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thanjavur
$51
Ubud, Bali
$104 106% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Thanjavur
$44
Ubud, Bali
$108 142% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Thanjavur
$19
Ubud, Bali
$58 204% $39
Getting Around
Thanjavur
$11
Ubud, Bali
$11 7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $122 in Thanjavur and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thanjavur pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $7 in Thanjavur vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $106 vs $288 per month, with Thanjavur cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Thanjavur
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
16:11 4:11 PM
18:41 6:41 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Thanjavur
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
223,000
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thanjavur Ubud, Bali 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thanjavur
  • 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
Thanjavur vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Thanjavur or Ubud, Bali?
Thanjavur wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Thanjavur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Thanjavur or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 27% higher in Thanjavur, 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 Thanjavur compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $122 in Thanjavur versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Thanjavur compared to Ubud, Bali?
A monthly transit pass in Thanjavur runs roughly 7% less than in Ubud, Bali. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Thanjavur and in Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $86 in Thanjavur versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $800/month in Thanjavur or in Ubud, Bali?
At $369 in Thanjavur versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Thanjavur but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Thanjavur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Thanjavur 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 Thanjavur compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Thanjavur and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Thanjavur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% 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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