Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiruvananthapuram and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram: $391 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Thiruvananthapuram
🇮🇳 India
$391
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $391 per month in Thiruvananthapuram vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Thiruvananthapuram $391
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $615 per month in Thiruvananthapuram vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Thiruvananthapuram $615
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $840 per month in Thiruvananthapuram vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Thiruvananthapuram $840
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Thiruvananthapuram is about 71% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thiruvananthapuram sits 71% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.53 ₹240
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
-24.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.30 ₹978
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
-70.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.56 ₹338
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
-38.62%
Cappuccino
$1.83 ₹174
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-32.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₹37.90
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-75.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.19 ₹18.28
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-77.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.04 ₹194
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
-24.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 ₹254
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-37.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.56 ₹53.5
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
-62.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 ₹50.3
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-76.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.56 ₹53.3
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-52.54%
Eggs
$0.88 ₹83.1
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
-58.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.43 ₹516
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-68.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.69 ₹255
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
-33.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.21 ₹210
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-37.75%
Banana (1kg)
$0.81 ₹77.3
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-48.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.15 ₹109
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-48.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.45 ₹43.04
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
-76.68%
Potato (1kg)
$0.44 ₹41.89
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-76.60%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 ₹46.16
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-78.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ₹53.8
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
-42.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.81
$0.53 Rp 9,475
-43.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.47 ₹424
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
96.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.36 ₹509
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-76.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₹167
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-25.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 ₹292
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
5.50%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$4.76 ₹452
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₹18.96
$0.24 Rp 4,315
-16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$2.91 ₹276
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-67.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 ₹160
$0.48 Rp 8,684
250.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.25 ₹23.54
$0.46 Rp 8,233
-45.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.58 ₹245
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
-52.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ₹105
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
26.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.7K ₹1.3M
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
-44.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K ₹2.9M
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-0.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$35.03 ₹3,327
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
-57.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.42 ₹325
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
-46.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.76 ₹737
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
-58.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.02 ₹1,332
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-74.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.77 ₹737
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-57.10%
Cinema Ticket
$2.11 ₹201
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
-51.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.77 ₹3,587
$493 Rp 8.9M
-92.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,091 ₹198.5K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
-63.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.80 ₹2,071
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
-52.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.95 ₹1,705
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
-49.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.91 ₹3,505
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-53.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.57 ₹2,618
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
-64.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$175 ₹16.6K
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-84.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$98.9 ₹9,390
$676 Rp 12.2M
-85.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$361 ₹34.3K
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-89.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 ₹20.3K
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-87.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$851 ₹80.8K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-69.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$453 ₹43.0K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-79.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thiruvananthapuram
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$241 ₹22.9K
$165 Rp 3.0M
46.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.31
13.78
-25.18%

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

Last update for Thiruvananthapuram: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Thiruvananthapuram
$103
Ubud, Bali
$290 182% $187
Accommodation & Living
Thiruvananthapuram
$99
Ubud, Bali
$676 583% $577
Eating Out
Thiruvananthapuram
$71
Ubud, Bali
$109 53.6% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Thiruvananthapuram
$47
Ubud, Bali
$108 129% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thiruvananthapuram
$46
Ubud, Bali
$108 134% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Thiruvananthapuram
$18
Ubud, Bali
$65 254% $46
Getting Around
Thiruvananthapuram
$6.6
Ubud, Bali
$13 89.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $175 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Thiruvananthapuram, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10.00 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $290 – making Thiruvananthapuram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Thiruvananthapuram
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
21:22 9:22 PM
23:52 11:52 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Thiruvananthapuram
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
744,983
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 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
  • Thiruvananthapuram Ubud, Bali 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thiruvananthapuram
  • 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
Thiruvananthapuram vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Thiruvananthapuram or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali costs about 250% more than Thiruvananthapuram, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Thiruvananthapuram and in Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $586 per month in Thiruvananthapuram and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Thiruvananthapuram or Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Thiruvananthapuram and in Ubud, Bali?
Kindergarten costs $37.77 per month in Thiruvananthapuram and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Thiruvananthapuram or in Ubud, Bali?
Groceries cost about 182% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Thiruvananthapuram or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thiruvananthapuram, where all-in costs run around $391, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Thiruvananthapuram it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Thiruvananthapuram or Ubud, Bali?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Thiruvananthapuram costs $391 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Thiruvananthapuram compared to Ubud, Bali?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Thiruvananthapuram or to Ubud, Bali?
If budget matters most, go with Thiruvananthapuram. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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