Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Basra
🇮🇶 Iraq
$652
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $652 in Basra.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Basra $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,179 in Basra.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Basra $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,706 in Basra.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Basra $1,706

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 110% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Basra is 52% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$4.06 IQD 6,134
-17.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$26.00 IQD 39.3K
35.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$6.42 IQD 9,706
-9.66%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$2.21 IQD 3,342
23.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$0.36 IQD 551
355.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$0.30 IQD 455
176.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$3.21 IQD 4,849
-15.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$3.57 IQD 5,394
20.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$0.97 IQD 1,460
54.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$0.56 IQD 841
310.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.25 IQD 1,895
-5.60%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$1.62 IQD 2,442
32.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$6.28 IQD 9,486
178.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$5.33 IQD 8,061
-24.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$12.12 IQD 18.3K
0.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$0.90 IQD 1,356
294.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.18 IQD 1,787
33.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$0.84 IQD 1,266
166.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$0.60 IQD 904
221.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$0.69 IQD 1,044
172.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$0.53 IQD 802
332.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$0.77 IQD 1,160
28.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$0.36 IQD 546
47.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$1.79 IQD 2,705
27.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$10.93 IQD 16.5K
110.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$1.46 IQD 2,204
60.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$1.73 IQD 2,617
68.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$0.50 IQD 756
-52.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$16.76 IQD 25.3K
-47.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$1.95 IQD 2,946
-75.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$1.94 IQD 2,930
-76.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$6.35 IQD 9,594
-14.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$0.56 IQD 849
57.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$11.7K IQD 17.7M
109.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$19.5K IQD 29.5M
59.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$44.55 IQD 67.3K
86.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$22.24 IQD 33.6K
-71.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$33.88 IQD 51.2K
-45.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$30.91 IQD 46.7K
80.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
$11.94 IQD 18.0K
51.68%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$6.55 IQD 9,898
-33.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$109 IQD 164.7K
352.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$3,250 IQD 4.9M
77.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$43.34 IQD 65.5K
6.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$17.27 IQD 26.1K
104.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$67.0 IQD 101.2K
18.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$35.95 IQD 54.3K
118.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$409 IQD 617.4K
179.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$129 IQD 195.6K
421.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$748 IQD 1.1M
368.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$539 IQD 814.7K
215.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$1,363 IQD 2.1M
104.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$688 IQD 1.0M
225.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Basra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$648 IQD 979.0K
-74.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
3.33
313.81%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Basra
$129 80.8% $546
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Basra
$170 41.6% $121
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Basra
$104 4.3% $4.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Basra
$101 6.8% $7.4
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Basra
$74 31.6% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Basra
$44 31.9% $21
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Basra
$30 142% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $409 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 294% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $26.00 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $170 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇮🇶 Basra
🕒 Local time
06:50 6:50 AM
01:50 1:50 AM
5 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
2,150,000
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Basra 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Basra

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 Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Basra?
Ubud, Bali and Basra differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $652 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 294% lower in Basra. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Basra?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $409 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $652 in Basra versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Basra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Basra?
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.
Is Ubud, Bali or Basra safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Basra are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Basra?
Expats usually find Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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