Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

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

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $852 in Bintulu.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 56% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

$4.02 MYR 16.34

-15.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 629.1K

$18.75 MYR 76.2

84.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.2K

$5.74 MYR 23.30

-2.96%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$2.89 MYR 11.76

-9.34%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.68 MYR 2.77

126.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.38 MYR 1.53

68.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$2.99 MYR 12.13

-10.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.4K

$5.19 MYR 21.09

-17.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$2.10 MYR 8.54

-30.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$1.43 MYR 5.80

60.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-15.91%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$2.21 MYR 8.96

-4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.4K

$17.39 MYR 70.6

-8.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.5K

$3.59 MYR 14.59

8.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 207.0K

$5.95 MYR 24.16

91.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.5K

$1.76 MYR 7.15

101.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.00 MYR 4.05

54.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.71 MYR 6.93

30.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.12 MYR 4.56

75.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$0.55 MYR 2.24

238.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$1.19 MYR 4.85

103.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$0.75 MYR 3.04

36.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,483

$0.45 MYR 1.81

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$4.11 MYR 16.70

-46.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.6K

$19.47 MYR 79.1

11.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$3.02 MYR 12.28

-22.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.00 MYR 8.12

48.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,546

$1.26 MYR 5.13

-80.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.4K

$16.05 MYR 65.2

-49.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,947

$0.95 MYR 3.88

-53.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,496

$0.82 MYR 3.32

-42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.7K

$2.51 MYR 10.18

123.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.66 MYR 2.70

25.76%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.8M

$44.8K MYR 181.9K

-45.42%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

$39.9K MYR 161.9K

-20.46%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$59.5 MYR 242

30.24%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.6K

$31.54 MYR 128

-80.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.4K

$30.82 MYR 125

-38.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.8K

$68.5 MYR 278

-25.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.3K

$12.11 MYR 49.17

50.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$4.51 MYR 18.32

-2.88%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$125 MYR 507

294.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.9M

$7,487 MYR 30.4K

63.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.9K

$65.4 MYR 266

-30.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 633.4K

$35.43 MYR 144

-1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$78.3 MYR 318

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$92.1 MYR 374

-15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.6M

$224 MYR 909

381.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$156 MYR 634

326.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$474 MYR 1,927

639.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$335 MYR 1,361

398.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.5M

$1,775 MYR 7,211

31.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

$1,172 MYR 4,760

90.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$613 MYR 2,489

-72.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.5

206.22%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 76.5% $509

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 15.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 14.8% $16

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 7.5% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 18.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 29.7% $18

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 119% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bintulu pays about 3.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

240,172

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,353 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Bintulu 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $852 in Bintulu – Bintulu is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 49% less than in Bintulu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Bintulu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.