Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Chennai (Madras)

For one person, living is cheaper in Chennai (Madras): $414 a month against $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
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Chennai (Madras) Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,348 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $414 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Chennai (Madras) $414

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $686 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Chennai (Madras) $686

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $958 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Chennai (Madras) $958

Ubud, Bali costs about 226% more than Chennai (Madras), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Chennai (Madras) is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$2.11 ₹204

57.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$12.22 ₹1,182

189.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$4.03 ₹390

42.93%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$1.81 ₹175

45.30%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$0.35 ₹33.91

397.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$0.18 ₹17.48

327.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$1.53 ₹148

77.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$3.05 ₹296

48.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$0.61 ₹58.7

150.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$0.50 ₹48.59

340.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$0.70 ₹67.7

74.29%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$0.84 ₹81.2

154.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$5.85 ₹566

203.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$3.18 ₹308

21.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$2.77 ₹268

30.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$0.80 ₹77.1

88.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$1.44 ₹140

61.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$0.45 ₹43.98

344.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$0.46 ₹44.96

293.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$0.43 ₹41.15

455.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$0.53 ₹51.3

86.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

$0.28 ₹26.94

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$4.88 ₹472

-55.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$7.42 ₹718

209.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$1.81 ₹175

32.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$2.65 ₹257

13.21%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.73 ₹651

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$0.30 ₹28.75

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

$10.50 ₹1,016

-33.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$1.02 ₹98.6

-56.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$0.32 ₹31.04

31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$2.06 ₹200

164.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.11 ₹108

-24.32%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

$15.3K ₹1.5M

58.88%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

$19.7K ₹1.9M

62.07%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$37.61 ₹3,640

114.92%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$4.04 ₹391

62.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$7.79 ₹754

134.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$12.70 ₹1,229

334.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

$6.65 ₹644

178.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$2.58 ₹250

64.34%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$87.9 ₹8,504

452.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$2,126 ₹205.8K

166.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$20.26 ₹1,961

123.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

$16.93 ₹1,639

104.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$35.70 ₹3,455

121.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$29.95 ₹2,898

159.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$178 ₹17.2K

532.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$102 ₹9,893

559.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$496 ₹48.0K

630.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$297 ₹28.8K

483.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

$2,083 ₹201.6K

35.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

$769 ₹74.4K

199.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$656 ₹63.5K

-74.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.99

37.94%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chennai (Madras): October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Chennai (Madras)

$102 24.9% 84.8% $572

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Chennai (Madras)

$114 27.8% 60.6% $176

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Chennai (Madras)

$67 16.2% 38.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$46 11.3% 56.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$49 12% 53.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Chennai (Madras)

$18 4.4% 71.9% $46

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.5% 36.3% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $178 in Chennai (Madras). 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 296% higher in Chennai (Madras), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $12.00 in Chennai (Madras). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $114 – making Chennai (Madras) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

4,681,087

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Chennai (Madras) 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 226% more than Chennai (Madras), and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $621 in Chennai (Madras). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,348 in Ubud, Bali and $414 in Chennai (Madras). That's a gap of about 226%.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Chennai (Madras). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chennai (Madras), where all-in costs run around $414, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,348. In Chennai (Madras) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chennai (Madras) costs $414 versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali. 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 Chennai (Madras). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.