Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Butare

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $369 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Butare, Rwanda
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Butare
🇷🇼 Rwanda
$369
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $369 in Butare.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Butare $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $589 in Butare.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Butare $589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $809 in Butare.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Butare $809

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 266% more expensive than in Butare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
$2.74 RWF 4,025
21.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 647.8K
$30.44 RWF 44.8K
17.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
$6.82 RWF 10.0K
-18.91%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
$2.39 RWF 3,522
13.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$0.81 RWF 1,189
109.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.55 RWF 807
38.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$1.05 RWF 1,544
152.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
$2.35 RWF 3,461
86.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$0.33 RWF 481
351.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
$0.83 RWF 1,214
174.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$0.99 RWF 1,460
20.20%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
$1.60 RWF 2,358
27.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.7K
$1.64 RWF 2,413
979.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 72.0K
$2.42 RWF 3,565
63.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.6K
$3.02 RWF 4,450
303.64%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.4K
$2.00 RWF 2,943
83.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
$0.77 RWF 1,126
97.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.18 RWF 1,739
88.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
$0.83 RWF 1,226
137.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$0.42 RWF 622
340.48%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
$0.26 RWF 380
830.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$0.14 RWF 206
607.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,332
$0.85 RWF 1,253
-40.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$2.00 RWF 2,936
11.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 404.2K
$10.12 RWF 14.9K
119.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$0.98 RWF 1,445
130.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
$1.56 RWF 2,299
90.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,562
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,989
$2.69 RWF 3,950
-83.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,817
$2.01 RWF 2,951
-78.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.3K
$3.42 RWF 5,024
58.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.84 RWF 2,700
-55.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 433.3M
$25.6K RWF 37.7M
-6.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 577.0M
$29.2K RWF 42.9M
8.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$82.6 RWF 121.5K
-4.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
$7.03 RWF 10.3K
-8.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.7K
$21.06 RWF 31.0K
-11.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 899.4K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.8K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
$3.30 RWF 4,859
29.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$112 RWF 165.5K
336.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.1M
$9,515 RWF 14.0M
-40.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 811.4K
$17.51 RWF 25.8K
154.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 635.3K
$15.43 RWF 22.7K
126.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
$22.09 RWF 32.5K
261.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$33.89 RWF 49.9K
134.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Butare
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 64.8M
-
-
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 41.5M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Butare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
16.2
-14.94%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Butare: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Butare
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Butare
$112 61% $176
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Butare
$86 19.7% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Butare
$40 62.8% $68
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Butare
$111 6.4% $6.6
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Butare
$6.6 * 88.6% $51
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Butare
$13 * 11.3% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $30 in Butare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $112 per month, with Butare cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇷🇼 Butare
🕒 Local time
13:26 1:26 PM
07:26 7:26 AM
6 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
62,823
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Butare 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Butare

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 Butare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Butare?
Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butare the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Butare?
You’d need roughly $2,023 in Ubud, Bali and $553 in Butare to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Butare?
Supermarket bills run roughly 157% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Butare?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $369 in Butare – Butare is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Ubud, Bali or in Butare?
At $369 in Butare versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Butare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ubud, Bali or Butare?
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.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Butare?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Butare are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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