Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $627 in Cahul.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Cahul $627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $917 in Cahul.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Cahul $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,207 in Cahul.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Cahul $1,207

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 115% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$8.19 MDL 146

-59.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$23.41 MDL 417

52.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$10.36 MDL 185

-46.62%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$1.69 MDL 30.11

60.95%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.11 MDL 19.82

53.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.53 MDL 9.53

43.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$2.01 MDL 35.81

31.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$1.76 MDL 31.45

148.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.20 MDL 21.36

24.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$0.49 MDL 8.72

365.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.60 MDL 28.45

-25.63%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.24 MDL 39.89

-8.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$6.51 MDL 116

171.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$4.54 MDL 80.9

-12.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$6.17 MDL 110

97.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$0.98 MDL 17.39

273.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$2.19 MDL 39.09

-30.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.81 MDL 32.25

23.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$2.37 MDL 42.33

-16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$0.76 MDL 13.54

143.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$0.52 MDL 9.22

365.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.43 MDL 7.74

130.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$0.53 MDL 9.50

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$3.39 MDL 60.5

-34.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$4.38 MDL 78.1

407.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.41 MDL 25.19

60.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$1.97 MDL 35.06

50.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$0.27 MDL 4.81

-7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$2.87 MDL 51.1

-84.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$0.24 MDL 4.27

79.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$5.44 MDL 97.0

-0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.56 MDL 27.74

-47.44%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$33.3K MDL 593.4K

-28.37%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$24.4K MDL 435.5K

29.98%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$221 MDL 3,948

-64.30%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$7.65 MDL 136

-15.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$11.03 MDL 197

68.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$7.62 MDL 136

-43.96%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$110 MDL 1,964

345.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$5,249 MDL 93.6K

8.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$45.08 MDL 804

-0.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$56.4 MDL 1,005

41.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$51.0 MDL 909

55.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

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 49.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$507 MDL 9,048

-67.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

72.25%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Cahul

$161 25.7% 44.1% $127

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Cahul

$137 21.8% 27.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Cahul

$69 * 10.9% 36.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Cahul

$240 38.3% 131% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 73.7% $43

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8% 55% $6.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Cahul pays about 3.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $23 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $161 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

39,500

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Cahul 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $627 in Cahul – Cahul is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Cahul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.