Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Bistrita

For one person, living is cheaper in Bistrita: $845 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

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

Cost of Living Index in Bistrita
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Bistrita Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Bistrita

🇷🇴 Romania

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $845 in Bistrita, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Bistrita $845

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,288 in Bistrita, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Bistrita $1,288

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,730 in Bistrita, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Bistrita $1,730

Ubud, Bali costs about 62% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Bistrita is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$6.22 RON 29.44

-46.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$31.58 RON 149

11.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$6.19 RON 29.28

-6.30%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$2.23 RON 10.55

22.42%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$1.56 RON 7.38

5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.37 RON 6.47

-39.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$2.13 RON 10.06

26.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$3.19 RON 15.09

34.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.23 RON 5.82

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.05 RON 4.95

119.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.04 RON 4.90

13.46%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$2.67 RON 12.62

-19.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$6.36 RON 30.08

174.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$6.23 RON 29.47

-35.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$11.19 RON 53.0

9.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$0.87 RON 4.12

308.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.45 RON 6.88

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$1.60 RON 7.57

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$2.07 RON 9.78

-6.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$0.80 RON 3.80

135.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$0.65 RON 3.06

252.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.06 RON 5.02

-6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.68 RON 3.20

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$5.48 RON 25.92

-58.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$5.15 RON 24.35

346.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$0.91 RON 4.30

157.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$1.08 RON 5.11

169.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.40 RON 1.90

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$21.19 RON 100

-58.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$0.76 RON 3.58

-36.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.75 RON 3.55

-38.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$7.37 RON 34.88

-26.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$1.54 RON 7.29

-42.86%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$27.3K RON 129.0K

-9.93%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$24.1K RON 114.2K

29.22%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$172 RON 812

-51.63%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$5.53 RON 26.16

16.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$5.82 RON 27.54

219.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$39.75 RON 188

40.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$30.96 RON 146

-41.51%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$6.20 RON 29.33

-29.35%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$314 RON 1,485

57.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$8,963 RON 42.4K

-35.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$37.77 RON 179

22.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$26.48 RON 125

33.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$62.4 RON 295

26.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$72.6 RON 343

8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$223 RON 1,055

412.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$185 RON 875

265.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$395 RON 1,868

787.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$315 RON 1,490

439.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$1,510 RON 7,146

84.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,175 RON 5,558

90.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$1,016 RON 4,805

-83.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.73

104.75%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bistrita: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Bistrita

$185 21.9% 72.6% $491

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Bistrita

$184 21.8% 36.6% $106

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Bistrita

$124 14.7% 13.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Bistrita

$183 21.7% 69.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Bistrita

$90 10.6% 16.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Bistrita

$52 6.2% 19.2% $12

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Bistrita

$27 3.2% 118% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $223 in Bistrita. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 517% higher in Bistrita, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $32.00 in Bistrita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $184 – making Bistrita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇷🇴 Bistrita

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

20:28 8:28 PM

5 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

75,076

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Bistrita 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Bistrita

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 Bistrita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 62% more than Bistrita, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,268 in Bistrita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bistrita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $32.00 in Bistrita. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bistrita, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Bistrita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bistrita costs $845 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bistrita. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.