Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,348 a month against $2,529 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,348 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,529 in Cairns, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Cairns $2,529

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,731 in Cairns, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Cairns $3,731

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,933 in Cairns, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Cairns $4,933

Ubud, Bali is about 47% cheaper than Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and Cairns sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 1%, Cairns by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$17.69 A$25.31

-81.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$97.6 A$140

-63.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$12.79 A$18.30

-54.96%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$4.32 A$6.18

-39.12%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$3.14 A$4.50

-44.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$2.74 A$3.92

-71.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$6.84 A$9.79

-60.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$8.34 A$11.94

-45.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$1.94 A$2.78

-21.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$2.63 A$3.77

-16.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$2.57 A$3.68

-52.53%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$5.39 A$7.71

-60.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$9.17 A$13.12

93.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$13.48 A$19.29

-71.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$15.26 A$21.83

-21.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$4.17 A$5.97

-13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$2.75 A$3.93

-45.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$3.54 A$5.06

-34.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$5.65 A$8.08

-64.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$2.56 A$3.66

-29.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$2.58 A$3.70

-7.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$2.71 A$3.88

-63.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

$2.59 A$3.70

-79.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$43.78 A$62.7

-95.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$13.96 A$19.97

64.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$3.55 A$5.08

-32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$5.22 A$7.46

-42.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$3.56 A$5.10

-93.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

$15.43 A$22.08

-54.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$2.65 A$3.79

-83.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$1.96 A$2.81

-78.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$42.21 A$60.4

-87.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.28 A$1.83

-34.38%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

$31.3K A$44.8K

-22.35%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

$40.8K A$58.4K

-21.89%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$164 A$234

-50.61%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$34.95 A$50.0

-81.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$65.0 A$93.0

-71.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$44.38 A$63.5

24.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

$27.37 A$39.16

-32.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$13.97 A$20.00

-69.65%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$2,069 A$2,961

-76.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$14.2K A$20.3K

-59.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$89.1 A$127

-49.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

$71.7 A$103

-51.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$122 A$174

-35.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$129 A$185

-39.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$1,466 A$2,098

-23.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$1,223 A$1,751

-44.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$2,250 A$3,221

60.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$1,944 A$2,783

-10.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

$6,629 A$9,487

-57.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

$5,015 A$7,177

-54.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$4,289 A$6,138

-96.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.32

118.04%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9% 81.5% $549

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Cairns

$409 16.3% 40.9% $119

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Cairns

$306 12.2% 183% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Cairns

$185 7.4% 74.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Cairns

$264 10.5% 150% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Cairns

$72 2.9% 13.7% $8.7

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Cairns

$42 1.7% 301% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,466 in Cairns. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2489% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $98.0 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $409 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

2 h ahead of Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

153,181

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Cairns 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Cairns

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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 88% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,022 per month in Ubud, Bali and $3,793 in Cairns. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $98.0 in Cairns. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,348, than in Cairns at $2,529. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,348 versus $2,529 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.