Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $868 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Alor Setar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ubud, Bali and in Alor Setar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $868 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Alor Setar $868

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,310 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Alor Setar $1,310

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,752 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Alor Setar $1,752

Ubud, Bali costs about 55% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$2.06 MYR 8.38

61.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$12.28 MYR 50.0

190.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$4.09 MYR 16.65

35.21%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$1.92 MYR 7.84

41.67%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.54 MYR 2.18

214.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.30 MYR 1.23

153.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$4.10 MYR 16.71

-35.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$4.52 MYR 18.42

-3.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.61 MYR 6.56

-7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$0.85 MYR 3.47

168.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.75 MYR 7.11

-32.00%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.53 MYR 6.22

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$13.63 MYR 55.5

29.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$4.32 MYR 17.62

-8.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$8.47 MYR 34.51

43.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$3.07 MYR 12.50

19.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.19 MYR 4.84

27.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.60 MYR 10.61

-14.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.47 MYR 5.98

34.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.06 MYR 4.32

74.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.08 MYR 4.38

124.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.09 MYR 4.45

-9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$4.45 MYR 18.13

-50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$18.90 MYR 77.0

17.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$5.18 MYR 21.11

-42.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$12.69 MYR 51.7

-38.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$1.73 MYR 7.03

-74.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$0.41 MYR 1.66

4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$7.38 MYR 30.09

-26.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.49 MYR 1.99

67.35%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

-47.35%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-11.43%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$37.81 MYR 154

109.10%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$7.47 MYR 30.44

-13.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$21.90 MYR 89.3

-15.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$37.64 MYR 153

31.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$6.37 MYR 25.95

177.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$4.83 MYR 19.68

-11.59%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$396 MYR 1,615

23.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

-46.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$59.6 MYR 243

-25.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$35.76 MYR 146

-2.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$81.7 MYR 333

-2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$68.9 MYR 281

15.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$421 MYR 1,713

167.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$294 MYR 1,197

128.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$653 MYR 2,660

445.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$532 MYR 2,167

224.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$2,256 MYR 9,193

21.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$1,157 MYR 4,712

97.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,600 MYR 6,519

-89.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.04

241.09%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Alor Setar

$294 33.8% 56.3% $378

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Alor Setar

$245 28.3% 14.9% $43

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Alor Setar

$85 9.8% 21.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Alor Setar

$111 12.8% 3% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Alor Setar

$67 7.7% 35.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Alor Setar

$47 5.5% 18.5% $11

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Alor Setar

$19 2.2% 68.6% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $421 in Alor Setar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alor Setar are about 9.8 times higher, 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 $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $12 in Alor Setar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $245 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

423,868

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Alor Setar 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Alor Setar

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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 55% more than Alor Setar, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,303 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alor Setar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $396 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $868 in Alor Setar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Alor Setar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.