Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cardiff

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,454 in Cardiff, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Cardiff
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,454
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,454 in Cardiff.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Cardiff $2,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,414 in Cardiff.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Cardiff $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,373 in Cardiff.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Cardiff $4,373

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 44% less than in Cardiff, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Cardiff 82% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$20.04 £15.04
-83.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$83.4 £62.6
-57.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$10.74 £8.06
-46.00%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$4.45 £3.34
-38.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$2.92 £2.19
-43.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$2.00 £1.50
-58.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$7.80 £5.85
-65.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$6.32 £4.74
-31.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.72 £1.29
-12.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$1.43 £1.07
60.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$2.15 £1.61
-45.12%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$3.62 £2.72
-40.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$9.47 £7.11
84.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$8.85 £6.64
-54.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$16.18 £12.14
-24.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$2.80 £2.10
26.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.55 £1.16
1.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$3.03 £2.28
-26.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$3.51 £2.63
-45.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$1.99 £1.50
-5.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$1.54 £1.15
48.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$1.09 £0.82
-9.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$1.64 £1.23
-67.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$23.08 £17.31
-90.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$11.07 £8.31
107.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$3.05 £2.29
-23.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$3.31 £2.48
-12.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$3.21 £2.41
-92.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$79.1 £59.3
-88.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$4.58 £3.44
-89.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$1.66 £1.25
-72.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$35.87 £26.91
-84.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$2.06 £1.55
-57.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$37.9K £28.4K
-35.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$40.9K £30.7K
-23.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$335 £252
-75.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$25.35 £19.02
-74.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$43.54 £32.67
-57.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$37.26 £27.95
49.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
$11.37 £8.53
59.28%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$10.36 £7.77
-57.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$1,990 £1,493
-75.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$32.5K £24.4K
-82.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$97.8 £73.4
-52.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$48.54 £36.41
-27.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$116 £86.9
-31.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$99.4 £74.6
-21.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$1,168 £876
-2.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$1,102 £826
-38.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$2,136 £1,602
64.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$1,482 £1,112
14.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$5,255 £3,942
-47.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$3,432 £2,575
-34.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Cardiff
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$3,179 £2,385
-94.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.11
169.67%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Cardiff
$1.1K 63% $426
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Cardiff
$306 5.3% $15
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Cardiff
$317 192% $208
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Cardiff
$404 274% $296
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Cardiff
$163 51.3% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Cardiff
$58 10.2% $6.6
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Cardiff
$105 735% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $1,168 in Cardiff. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 1832% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $83.0 in Cardiff for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $306 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇬🇧 Cardiff
🕒 Local time
04:30 4:30 AM
21:30 9:30 PM
7 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
346,100
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Cardiff 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Cardiff

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 Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Cardiff?
Ubud, Bali and Cardiff differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $2,454 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 1832% lower in Cardiff. 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 Cardiff?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,168 in Cardiff. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $83.0 in Cardiff. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Cardiff?
All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,454 in Cardiff – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,454 in Cardiff, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Cardiff?
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 Cardiff safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Cardiff are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Cardiff?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Cardiff. 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

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?