Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Bowral

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,658 in Bowral, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Bowral, Australia
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Bowral
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,658
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,658 in Bowral.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Bowral $2,658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,646 in Bowral.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Bowral $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,633 in Bowral.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Bowral $4,633

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 50% less than in Bowral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Bowral is 97% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.3K
$15.69 A$22.40
-78.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 629.3K
$88.5 A$126
-60.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.2K
$10.66 A$15.23
-47.75%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.6K
$2.76 A$3.95
-5.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 28.0K
$2.06 A$2.94
-25.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$1.41 A$2.02
-54.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$8.26 A$11.80
-67.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.4K
$9.61 A$13.73
-55.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.6K
$1.43 A$2.05
2.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$3.09 A$4.42
-25.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$2.58 A$3.68
-56.98%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$5.25 A$7.49
-60.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.5K
$12.57 A$17.95
26.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.5K
$9.77 A$13.95
-60.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 207.1K
$15.15 A$21.64
-24.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.5K
$3.97 A$5.67
-10.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$3.12 A$4.45
-50.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$3.53 A$5.04
-36.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$5.29 A$7.55
-62.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$3.19 A$4.56
-41.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$2.77 A$3.95
-12.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$2.46 A$3.51
-58.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,486
$1.33 A$1.90
-60.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$44.97 A$64.2
-95.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.7K
$14.00 A$19.99
55.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$4.69 A$6.70
-50.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$5.63 A$8.05
-47.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,547
$2.59 A$3.70
-90.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.5K
$88.7 A$127
-90.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,950
$4.22 A$6.03
-89.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,499
$1.76 A$2.52
-73.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.7K
$44.66 A$63.8
-87.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.33 A$1.90
-37.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 444.0M
$27.8K A$39.7K
-12.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.6M
$25.9K A$37.0K
22.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$185 A$264
-58.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.6K
$26.47 A$37.81
-76.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.5K
$57.1 A$81.6
-66.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 926.1K
$56.5 A$80.7
-9.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.4K
$16.87 A$24.09
8.18%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
$15.93 A$22.76
-72.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$2,536 A$3,621
-80.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 222.0M
$21.8K A$31.2K
-44.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 820.2K
$77.5 A$111
-41.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 633.6K
$56.7 A$81.0
-38.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$107 A$152
-26.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$134 A$192
-42.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.6M
$1,254 A$1,790
-14.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$1,364 A$1,948
-51.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$2,528 A$3,610
38.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$1,678 A$2,396
-0.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.5M
$5,351 A$7,642
-56.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
$4,556 A$6,506
-50.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Bowral
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$3,266 A$4,664
-94.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
6.08
126.64%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bowral: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Bowral
$1.4K 105% $699
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Bowral
$391 40% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Bowral
$169 58.7% $62
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Bowral
$265 151% $159
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Bowral
$269 162% $166
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Bowral
$88 47.8% $29
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Bowral
$112 838% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,254 in Bowral. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bowral pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $88 in Bowral for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $391 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇦🇺 Bowral
🕒 Local time
19:43 7:43 PM
22:43 10:43 PM
3 h ahead of Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
10,764
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Bowral 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Bowral

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 Bowral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Bowral?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $2,658 in Bowral, so Ubud, Bali is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 95% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Bowral?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,254 in Bowral. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Bowral?
Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,536 in Bowral. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Bowral. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Bowral?
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 Bowral safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Bowral are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Bowral?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Bowral. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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