Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Arlington, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $3,582 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
173

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Arlington, VA

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 Arlington, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,582 in Arlington, VA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Arlington, VA $3,582

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $5,415 in Arlington, VA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Arlington, VA $5,415

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $7,249 in Arlington, VA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Arlington, VA $7,249

Ubud, Bali is about 62% cheaper than Arlington, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and Arlington, VA sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 0%, Arlington, VA by 164%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$23.99 $23.99

-86.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$101 $101

-65.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$10.93 $10.93

-47.85%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$5.78 $5.78

-54.67%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$2.98 $2.98

-42.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$2.43 $2.43

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$8.14 $8.14

-67.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$8.81 $8.81

-50.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.25 $1.25

25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$4.39 $4.39

-50.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$5.21 $5.21

-77.35%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$5.07 $5.07

-57.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$21.53 $21.53

-18.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$15.69 $15.69

-75.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$22.56 $22.56

-47.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$5.57 $5.57

-35.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.88 $1.88

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$4.56 $4.56

-49.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$5.75 $5.75

-66.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$3.26 $3.26

-45.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$3.75 $3.75

-37.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$2.26 $2.26

-55.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$2.44 $2.44

-78.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$9.73 $9.73

-76.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$17.20 $17.20

28.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$2.83 $2.83

-16.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$2.83 $2.83

5.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$2.74 $2.74

-91.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$121 $121

-92.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$3.93 $3.93

-88.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$1.21 $1.21

-64.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$24.92 $24.92

-78.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.05 $1.05

-20.95%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$29.2K $29.2K

-18.14%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$25.7K $25.7K

27.68%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$162 $162

-50.54%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$51.5 $51.5

-87.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$61.7 $61.7

-69.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$71.4 $71.4

-24.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$19.14 $19.14

-4.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$16.58 $16.58

-74.37%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$1,572 $1,572

-68.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$35.5K $35.5K

-84.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$55.3 $55.3

-17.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$62.2 $62.2

-43.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$104 $104

-25.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$163 $163

-51.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$2,452 $2,452

-53.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$2,010 $2,010

-66.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$4,832 $4,832

-25.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$3,600 $3,600

-52.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$5,750 $5,750

-52.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$4,742 $4,742

-52.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$6,973 $6,973

-97.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.79

102.95%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Arlington, VA

$2K 56.1% 199% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Arlington, VA

$504 14.1% 75.6% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Arlington, VA

$173 4.8% 62% $66

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Arlington, VA

$374 10.4% 251% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Arlington, VA

$275 7.7% 161% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Arlington, VA

$105 2.9% 67% $42

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Arlington, VA

$142 4% 1041% $129

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,452 in Arlington, VA. 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 4091% higher in Arlington, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $101 in Arlington, VA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $504 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

07:40 7:40 AM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

365,438

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Arlington, VA 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Arlington, VA

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 Arlington, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 165% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $5,373 in Arlington, VA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $101 in Arlington, VA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,353, than in Arlington, VA at $3,582. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,353 versus $3,582 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.