Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Byron Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,411 in Byron Bay, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Byron Bay, Australia
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Byron Bay
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,411
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Byron 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 Byron Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,411 in Byron Bay.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Byron Bay $2,411

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,461 in Byron Bay.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Byron Bay $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,512 in Byron Bay.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Byron Bay $4,512

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 45% less than in Byron Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Byron Bay is 78% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.1K
$17.63 A$25.64
-80.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 627.3K
$79.2 A$115
-56.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 100.9K
$11.41 A$16.59
-51.18%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.4K
$3.81 A$5.54
-31.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.41 A$2.05
9.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$2.51 A$3.65
-74.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.3K
$7.97 A$11.59
-66.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.2K
$8.55 A$12.43
-50.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$1.65 A$2.40
-11.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.5K
$2.65 A$3.86
-13.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.0K
$2.33 A$3.39
-52.36%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.0K
$4.76 A$6.93
-55.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 288.6K
$9.26 A$13.47
72.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.3K
$9.44 A$13.72
-58.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.4K
$14.29 A$20.78
-20.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.3K
$4.15 A$6.03
-14.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.8K
$3.09 A$4.49
-50.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$2.91 A$4.24
-23.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.7K
$4.94 A$7.19
-60.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.6K
$2.84 A$4.14
-34.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.8K
$2.44 A$3.54
-0.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$2.34 A$3.41
-56.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,456
$1.21 A$1.76
-57.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.8K
$33.38 A$48.54
-93.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 394.4K
$12.73 A$18.51
71.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.1K
$5.21 A$7.58
-55.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
$4.96 A$7.21
-40.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,533
$2.73 A$3.97
-90.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.0K
$84.8 A$123
-90.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,925
$2.96 A$4.30
-85.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,472
$1.81 A$2.63
-74.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.4K
$41.11 A$59.8
-86.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.40 A$2.03
-40.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 442.6M
$30.0K A$43.6K
-18.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 573.8M
$24.2K A$35.2K
30.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$157 A$229
-50.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.2K
$14.04 A$20.43
-56.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 342.4K
$42.48 A$61.8
-55.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 923.1K
$55.3 A$80.4
-7.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 330.4K
$17.99 A$26.16
1.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.3K
$13.87 A$20.17
-68.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$2,014 A$2,929
-75.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.2M
$12.5K A$18.1K
-2.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 817.6K
$70.5 A$103
-35.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 631.6K
$21.07 A$30.65
65.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$69.7 A$101
12.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$110 A$159
-28.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
$1,400 A$2,036
-23.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.0M
$1,227 A$1,785
-45.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.5M
$2,268 A$3,299
54.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.2M
$1,799 A$2,616
-7.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
$5,888 A$8,564
-60.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.5M
$5,008 A$7,284
-55.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Byron Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$4,891 A$7,114
-96.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5
175.60%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Byron Bay: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Byron Bay
$1.2K 84.5% $562
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Byron Bay
$364 30.1% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Byron Bay
$122 14.6% $16
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Byron Bay
$294 178% $188
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Byron Bay
$214 109% $111
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Byron Bay
$83 38.9% $23
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Byron Bay
$108 801% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,400 in Byron Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byron Bay pays about 29 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $79 in Byron Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $364 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇦🇺 Byron Bay
🕒 Local time
04:13 4:13 AM
07:13 7:13 AM
3 h ahead of Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
10,538
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,231 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.45 AUD (1 AUD = 0.688 USD). 1 EUR = 1.63 AUD (1 AUD = 0.615 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Byron Bay 4,590 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Byron 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 Byron Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Byron Bay?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $2,411 in Byron Bay, so Ubud, Bali is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 97% 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 Byron Bay?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,400 in Byron Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Byron Bay?
All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,411 in Byron Bay – Ubud, Bali is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Byron Bay?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 90% less than in Byron Bay. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
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 Byron Bay?
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 Byron Bay safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Byron Bay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Byron Bay?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Byron Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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