Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Buff Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Buff Bay: $970 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Buff Bay, Jamaica
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Buff Bay
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$970
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Buff Bay

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $970 in Buff Bay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Buff Bay $970

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,614 in Buff Bay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Buff Bay $1,614

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,259 in Buff Bay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Buff Bay $2,259

Ubud, Bali costs about 39% more than Buff Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
$10.80 JMD 1,706
-69.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 646.7K
$76.9 JMD 12.2K
-53.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
$4.94 JMD 780
11.94%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$5.20 JMD 822
-47.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$0.75 JMD 118
126.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.61 JMD 96.1
24.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$1.86 JMD 294
42.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$3.07 JMD 485
42.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$4.15 JMD 656
-64.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
$3.68 JMD 581
-38.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.64 JMD 259
-27.44%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$3.52 JMD 555
-42.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.2K
$11.26 JMD 1,779
57.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$6.32 JMD 998
-37.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.2K
$10.25 JMD 1,620
18.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
$5.94 JMD 938
-38.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$3.97 JMD 627
-61.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$7.56 JMD 1,194
-70.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$3.08 JMD 487
-36.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$3.22 JMD 509
-42.55%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
$2.68 JMD 423
-9.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$3.02 JMD 478
-67.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,316
$1.45 JMD 229
-64.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$9.65 JMD 1,524
-76.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.6K
$11.17 JMD 1,764
99.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$2.91 JMD 460
-22.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$4.05 JMD 640
-26.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,555
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,975
$1.25 JMD 197
-64.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,804
$3.13 JMD 494
-86.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.2K
$6.21 JMD 980
-12.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.40 JMD 221
-41.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.6M
$44.4K JMD 7.0M
-46.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 576.1M
$32.8K JMD 5.2M
-3.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$169 JMD 26.7K
-53.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.0K
$29.75 JMD 4,700
-78.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.1K
$52.2 JMD 8,246
-64.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 897.9K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.6K
$13.39 JMD 2,116
-68.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$362 JMD 57.2K
35.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.0M
$8,327 JMD 1.3M
-31.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 810.0K
$24.09 JMD 3,805
85.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 634.2K
$31.87 JMD 5,036
9.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$77.2 JMD 12.2K
3.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$104 JMD 16.5K
-23.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Buff Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
9.45
45.82%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Buff Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Buff Bay
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Buff Bay
$384 33% $95
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Buff Bay
$185 71.4% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Buff Bay
$107 0.6% $0.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Buff Bay
$251 141% $147
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Buff Bay
$27 * 53.8% $31
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Buff Bay
$17 * 47.9% $5.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $77 in Buff Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $384 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇯🇲 Buff Bay
🕒 Local time
21:08 9:08 PM
08:08 8:08 AM
13 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
2,757
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Buff Bay 18,330 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Buff Bay

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 Buff Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in Buff Bay compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $970 in Buff Bay – Buff Bay comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Buff Bay?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,455 in Buff Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Buff Bay?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $970 in Buff Bay. That makes Buff Bay about 28% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Buff Bay?
Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $362 in Buff Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Buff Bay, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Buff Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Buff Bay?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Buff Bay to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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