Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Bandarawela

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandarawela: $496 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Bandarawela
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Bandarawela Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $496 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Bandarawela $496

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $793 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Bandarawela $793

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,091 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Bandarawela $1,091

Ubud, Bali costs about 172% more than Bandarawela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$1.40 LKR 465

137.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$24.56 LKR 8,164

45.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$7.77 LKR 2,585

-28.83%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$1.53 LKR 507

77.78%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.63 LKR 208

169.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.27 LKR 90.3

181.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$2.22 LKR 739

19.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$2.40 LKR 797

82.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.64 LKR 547

-9.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$0.34 LKR 114

570.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$0.62 LKR 205

91.94%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.08 LKR 357

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$13.51 LKR 4,492

31.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$3.70 LKR 1,231

7.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$7.57 LKR 2,516

61.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$6.74 LKR 2,240

-45.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$0.59 LKR 196

157.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.51 LKR 1,500

-50.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.28 LKR 426

53.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$0.94 LKR 312

96.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$0.52 LKR 172

365.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.95 LKR 316

4.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.45 LKR 150

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$9.60 LKR 3,192

-76.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$12.90 LKR 4,289

72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.95 LKR 649

15.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$2.91 LKR 968

2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.14 LKR 46.52

78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$1.55 LKR 516

404.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$0.38 LKR 126

15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$0.29 LKR 95.7

48.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$0.47 LKR 155

1051.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.99 LKR 328

-17.17%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$43.5K LKR 14.5M

-45.22%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

-21.15%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$59.9 LKR 19.9K

31.92%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$3.29 LKR 1,094

96.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$5.92 LKR 1,968

213.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$6.21 LKR 2,064

696.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$4.51 LKR 1,499

291.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$2.47 LKR 821

72.87%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$37.24 LKR 12.4K

1217.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$1,204 LKR 400.2K

371.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$18.29 LKR 6,081

144.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$16.75 LKR 5,568

108.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$78.3 LKR 26.0K

2.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

93.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

1124.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$45.15 LKR 15.0K

1387.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$119 LKR 39.7K

2884.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$61.5 LKR 20.5K

2700.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

12.69

8.59%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bandarawela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Bandarawela

$45 9.1% 93.3% $626

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Bandarawela

$225 45.3% 22.2% $64

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Bandarawela

$72 14.6% 32.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 35.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 33.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Bandarawela

$11 2.3% 80.8% $47

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Bandarawela

$3.9 0.8% 65.6% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $92 in Bandarawela. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $25 in Bandarawela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $225 – making Bandarawela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

8,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Bandarawela 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Bandarawela

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 Bandarawela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $496 in Bandarawela – Bandarawela comes out roughly 63% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $744 in Bandarawela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandarawela, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $92 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $37 in Bandarawela. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bandarawela, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Bandarawela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bandarawela – 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.

For expats, Bandarawela is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.