Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $835 in Assela.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,203 in Assela.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,571 in Assela.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Assela $1,571

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 64% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Assela is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$3.96 ETB 636

-15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$42.32 ETB 6,793

-16.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$6.66 ETB 1,069

-12.91%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$0.96 ETB 153

184.38%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.64 ETB 102

156.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.68 ETB 109

22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$0.83 ETB 133

225.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$2.20 ETB 353

95.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.05 ETB 169

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.17 ETB 188

96.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.22 ETB 357

-46.85%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$1.78 ETB 286

20.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$7.18 ETB 1,152

143.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$10.17 ETB 1,632

-60.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$9.17 ETB 1,471

33.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$5.43 ETB 871

-34.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$0.68 ETB 109

130.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$2.17 ETB 348

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$0.66 ETB 106

192.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$0.47 ETB 75.4

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$1.05 ETB 169

118.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.66 ETB 106

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.60 ETB 96.9

-11.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$8.03 ETB 1,290

-71.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$5.49 ETB 881

319.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$0.66 ETB 106

254.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$1.22 ETB 196

138.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$1.29 ETB 207

-62.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.29 ETB 46.58

58.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$2.03 ETB 325

168.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.90 ETB 144

-2.22%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-54.75%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-44.76%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$201 ETB 32.2K

-58.69%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$7.11 ETB 1,141

-9.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$209 ETB 33.5K

-91.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$3.83 ETB 614

14.36%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$137 ETB 22.1K

258.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-80.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$33.25 ETB 5,337

38.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-50.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

-5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

18.5

-25.51%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Assela

$211 25.3% 27.2% $79

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Assela

$77 9.2% 29.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Assela

$417 50% 286% $309

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Assela

$119 14.3% 10.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 88.2% $57

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 78.2% $9.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $42.00 in Assela. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $211, with Assela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

19:20 7:20 PM

5 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

139,500

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Assela 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 64% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,051 in Ubud, Bali and $1,252 in Assela 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.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.