Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Chester

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,405 in Chester, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Chester, United Kingdom
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Chester
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,405
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,405 in Chester, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Chester $2,405

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,486 in Chester, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Chester $3,486

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,568 in Chester, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Chester $4,568

Ubud, Bali is about 45% cheaper than Chester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ubud, Bali sits 2% below the global median, while Chester is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.2K
$19.88 £14.82
-83.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 628.6K
$88.1 £65.7
-60.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.1K
$10.67 £7.96
-47.80%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
$5.24 £3.90
-50.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$2.55 £1.90
-39.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$1.80 £1.35
-64.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$6.58 £4.90
-59.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.3K
$6.64 £4.95
-35.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$1.71 £1.28
-14.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$1.75 £1.31
30.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$2.30 £1.72
-51.74%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$4.23 £3.15
-50.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.2K
$9.12 £6.80
74.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.4K
$8.97 £6.69
-56.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.8K
$14.26 £10.63
-20.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
$2.94 £2.20
20.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.72 £1.28
-10.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$2.87 £2.14
-22.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$2.98 £2.22
-33.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$2.00 £1.49
-7.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$1.47 £1.10
64.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$1.27 £0.95
-19.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,475
$1.63 £1.21
-68.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$24.13 £17.99
-90.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.2K
$11.19 £8.34
94.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$3.03 £2.26
-23.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$3.26 £2.43
-8.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,542
$4.13 £3.08
-93.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.3K
$72.8 £54.3
-88.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,941
$4.73 £3.53
-90.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,489
$1.71 £1.28
-72.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
$21.77 £16.23
-74.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$2.06 £1.54
-59.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.5M
$38.4K £28.6K
-36.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.0M
$40.9K £30.5K
-22.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$322 £240
-75.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
$21.03 £15.68
-70.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.1K
$42.39 £31.61
-55.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.0K
$36.10 £26.92
41.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.0K
$15.31 £11.41
19.20%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$13.54 £10.09
-67.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$1,775 £1,324
-72.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.7M
$24.2K £18.0K
-49.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.2K
$88.6 £66.0
-49.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 632.9K
$38.24 £28.52
-8.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$102 £75.9
-23.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$92.0 £68.6
-15.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
$1,401 £1,045
-23.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$1,088 £811
-38.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$2,157 £1,608
62.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$1,706 £1,272
-2.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
$4,350 £3,243
-46.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
$3,187 £2,376
-29.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Chester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$4,138 £3,086
-95.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.15
167.57%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chester: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Chester
$1.1K 63.6% $423
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Chester
$305 9% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Chester
$144 35.7% $38
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Chester
$317 200% $212
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Chester
$385 276% $282
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Chester
$63 5.7% $3.4
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Chester
$103 759% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,401 in Chester. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chester are about 25 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $88 in Chester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $305 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇬🇧 Chester
🕒 Local time
20:22 8:22 PM
12:22 12:22 PM
8 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
119,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,309 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Chester 12,620 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Chester

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 Chester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Chester?
Chester costs about 81% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Chester?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $3,608 in Chester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ubud, Bali or Chester?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,078 there versus $1,401 in Chester.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Chester?
Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,775 in Chester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Chester?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Chester, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Chester?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $2,405 in Chester. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Chester?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Ubud, Bali or to Chester?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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