Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $516 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Thika, Kenya
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Thika
🇰🇪 Kenya
$516
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $516 in Thika versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Thika $516
  • Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $880 in Thika versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Thika $880
  • Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,245 in Thika versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Thika $1,245
  • Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Thika costs roughly 61% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Thika 62% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.42 KES 444
$3.38 Rp 61.3K
1.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.96 KES 4,410
$34.65 Rp 629.1K
-1.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.26 KES 813
$5.57 Rp 101.2K
12.39%
Cappuccino
$1.93 KES 251
$2.62 Rp 47.6K
-26.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 KES 38.66
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
-80.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 KES 81.6
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
-1.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 KES 255
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
-26.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 KES 279
$4.26 Rp 77.4K
-49.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 KES 95.3
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
-50.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.44 KES 57.6
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
-80.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 KES 155
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
8.11%
Eggs
$1.41 KES 183
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
-32.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.96 KES 1,423
$15.94 Rp 289.4K
-31.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.73 KES 873
$3.88 Rp 70.5K
73.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.94 KES 511
$11.40 Rp 207.0K
-65.44%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 KES 206
$3.55 Rp 64.5K
-55.49%
Banana (1kg)
$0.61 KES 79.2
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
-60.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 KES 96.6
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
-66.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 KES 149
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
-41.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.37 KES 47.84
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
-80.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 KES 58.4
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
-81.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 KES 89.4
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
-32.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 KES 50.8
$0.52 Rp 9,483
-25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.79 KES 363
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
26.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.72 KES 742
$21.79 Rp 395.6K
-73.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 KES 231
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
-23.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 KES 256
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
-33.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.25 Rp 4,546
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.17 Rp 148.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 KES 198
$0.44 Rp 7,947
245.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 KES 125
$0.47 Rp 8,496
104.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.93 KES 380
$5.60 Rp 101.7K
-47.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 KES 184
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
69.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K KES 2.5M
$24.4K Rp 443.8M
-20.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5K KES 2.8M
$31.7K Rp 575.5M
-32.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.90 KES 4,532
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
-54.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.86 KES 1,930
$6.14 Rp 111.6K
142.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.82 KES 4,521
$18.92 Rp 343.4K
84.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.48 KES 5,906
$51.0 Rp 925.8K
-10.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.25 Rp 331.3K
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 KES 970
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
70.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$54.0 KES 7,005
$492 Rp 8.9M
-89.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,528 KES 458.2K
$12.2K Rp 221.9M
-71.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.24 KES 3,666
$45.16 Rp 819.9K
-37.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.33 KES 3,808
$34.89 Rp 633.4K
-15.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.2 KES 8,991
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
-11.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$19.51 KES 2,533
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
-74.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$99.5 KES 12.9K
$1,078 Rp 19.6M
-90.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$56.8 KES 7,380
$665 Rp 12.1M
-91.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$270 KES 35.0K
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
-92.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$178 KES 23.1K
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
-89.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$611 KES 79.3K
$2,340 Rp 42.5M
-73.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thika
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.71
13.78
6.75%

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

Last update for Thika: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Thika
$154
Ubud, Bali
$279 80.9% $125
Eating Out
Thika
$87
Ubud, Bali
$106 21.3% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thika
$85
Ubud, Bali
$103 21.2% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Thika
$66
Ubud, Bali
$106 61.5% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Thika
$60
Ubud, Bali
$60 1.1% $0.7
Accommodation & Living
Thika
$57
Ubud, Bali
$665 1070% $608
Getting Around
Thika
$6.3 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 89.1% $5.6

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 $100 in Thika and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Thika vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $155 vs $279 per month, with Thika cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇰🇪 Thika
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
16:49 4:49 PM
21:49 9:49 PM
5 h ahead of Thika
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
83,000
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,353 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thika Ubud, Bali 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thika
  • 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
Thika vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thika cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Thika is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $773 in Thika and $1,996 in Ubud, Bali to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Thika and Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $100 in Thika versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $54 in Thika versus $492 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Thika or in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Thika – a meal for two runs $34 versus $35 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Thika or in Ubud, Bali?
At $516 in Thika versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thika but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Thika the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Thika or in 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.

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