Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Amherst, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,767 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Amherst, MA

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 Amherst, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,767 in Amherst, MA.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Amherst, MA $2,767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,275 in Amherst, MA.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Amherst, MA $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $5,783 in Amherst, MA.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Amherst, MA $5,783

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 51% less than in Amherst, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$20.05 $20.05

-83.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$70.8 $70.8

-49.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$8.90 $8.90

-37.87%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$4.79 $4.79

-43.22%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.69 $2.69

-36.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$2.06 $2.06

-63.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$5.97 $5.97

-55.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$10.41 $10.41

-57.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.06 $1.06

40.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$3.21 $3.21

-28.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$7.00 $7.00

-83.00%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$4.69 $4.69

-56.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$16.50 $16.50

7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$15.78 $15.78

-74.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$18.29 $18.29

-33.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$4.70 $4.70

-22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.45 $1.45

4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$3.25 $3.25

-31.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$4.60 $4.60

-57.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$3.27 $3.27

-43.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$3.71 $3.71

-34.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$2.30 $2.30

-56.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$2.02 $2.02

-74.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$10.69 $10.69

-79.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$12.14 $12.14

83.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.98 $1.98

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$3.92 $3.92

-24.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$1.29 $1.29

-80.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

$28.34 $28.34

-72.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$3.56 $3.56

-87.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$1.42 $1.42

-69.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$29.78 $29.78

-81.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.99 $0.99

-17.17%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$27.5K $27.5K

-13.40%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$26.4K $26.4K

20.42%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$213 $213

-62.87%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$56.5 $56.5

-88.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$87.9 $87.9

-78.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

$121 $121

-59.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

$6.90 $6.90

155.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$10.65 $10.65

-59.91%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$1,466 $1,466

-66.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$17.2K $17.2K

-66.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$45.22 $45.22

-1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

$40.24 $40.24

-13.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$91.6 $91.6

-12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$110 $110

-27.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

$1,821 $1,821

-38.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$1,346 $1,346

-50.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$3,829 $3,829

-6.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$2,708 $2,708

-36.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

$3,969 $3,969

-31.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$4,035 $4,035

-43.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$4,660 $4,660

-96.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.1

125.90%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Amherst, MA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7% 101% $675

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Amherst, MA

$434 15.7% 50.3% $145

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Amherst, MA

$314 11.4% 192% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Amherst, MA

$129 4.7% 19.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Amherst, MA

$357 12.9% 243% $253

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Amherst, MA

$143 5.2% 146% $85

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Amherst, MA

$44 1.6% 286% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,821 in Amherst, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays about 28 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $71 in Amherst, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $434 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

22:14 10:14 PM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

37,819

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,242 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Amherst, MA 16,170 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Amherst, MA

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 Amherst, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,821 in Amherst, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,466 in Amherst, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Amherst, MA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Amherst, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.