Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Asmara

For one person, living costs are similar in Ubud, Bali and in Asmara: $1,353 and $1,374 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
Learn more

Asmara Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,374 in Asmara.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Asmara $1,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,159 in Asmara.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Asmara $2,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,943 in Asmara.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Asmara $2,943

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 2% less than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 0% above, Asmara 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$20.76 ERN 312

-84.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$33.78 ERN 507

3.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$6.02 ERN 90.5

-5.32%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$0.77 ERN 11.61

240.26%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.02 ERN 15.37

68.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.97 ERN 14.59

-16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$0.61 ERN 9.20

334.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.56 ERN 23.41

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.26 ERN 33.95

-47.79%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$4.48 ERN 67.3

-51.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$2.93 ERN 43.95

502.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$27.11 ERN 407

-86.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$9.94 ERN 149

20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$12.25 ERN 184

-70.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.26 ERN 18.86

26.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$2.03 ERN 30.53

13.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.14 ERN 17.18

67.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.75 ERN 26.31

1.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$0.95 ERN 14.27

145.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$2.25 ERN 33.78

-76.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$11.98 ERN 180

84.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$0.98 ERN 14.71

139.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.03 ERN 15.43

189.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.14 ERN 2.10

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$7.98 ERN 120

11.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.58 ERN 8.70

-25.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$10.18 ERN 153

-46.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$2.55 ERN 38.23

-67.45%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

-64.71%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$70.9K ERN 1.1M

-53.75%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$25.48 ERN 383

213.93%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$68.1 ERN 1,023

-90.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$201 ERN 3,012

-90.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$26.63 ERN 400

103.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$4.86 ERN 73.1

276.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$1.22 ERN 18.28

248.36%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$24.87 ERN 374

1881.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$2,595 ERN 39.0K

115.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$137 ERN 2,060

-66.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$122 ERN 1,837

-71.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$197 ERN 2,964

-60.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$148 ERN 2,229

-47.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$252 ERN 3,781

349.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$199 ERN 2,984

238.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$454 ERN 6,824

695.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$420 ERN 6,305

305.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$1,247 ERN 18.7K

117.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$2,481 ERN 37.3K

-9.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

14.83%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Asmara

$199 14.5% 70.5% $474

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Asmara

$364 * 26.5% 26.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Asmara

$272 19.8% 156% $166

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Asmara

$204 * 14.9% 92.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Asmara

$294 21.4% 180% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 53.6% $34

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Asmara

$11 * 0.8% 8% $1

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $252 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $364, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

5 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, 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).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.89 ERN (100 ERN = 5.92 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Asmara 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Asmara differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $1,374 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,030 in Ubud, Bali and $2,062 in Asmara 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $252 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 12% less than in Asmara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $24.87 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,374 in Asmara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Asmara. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Asmara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Asmara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.