Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,041 in Chiayi.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Chiayi $1,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,471 in Chiayi.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Chiayi $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,901 in Chiayi.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Chiayi $1,901

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 30% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$4.59 NT$150

-27.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$46.34 NT$1,511

-23.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$5.65 NT$184

-2.12%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$3.29 NT$107

-17.33%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.85 NT$27.72

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.67 NT$21.81

13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$2.98 NT$97.2

-11.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$3.58 NT$117

22.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$2.95 NT$96.2

-49.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$1.95 NT$63.5

16.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$3.05 NT$99.5

-60.98%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$2.63 NT$85.8

-22.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$18.97 NT$619

-6.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$9.89 NT$322

-59.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

$21.28 NT$694

-42.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$4.72 NT$154

-22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$3.28 NT$107

-53.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.87 NT$93.5

-22.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$4.23 NT$138

-53.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$2.65 NT$86.2

-30.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$2.20 NT$71.6

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.72 NT$56.1

-42.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$1.12 NT$36.48

-54.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$3.75 NT$122

-40.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$4.48 NT$146

396.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.58 NT$51.4

43.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.13 NT$69.5

39.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

$12.12 NT$395

-35.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$2.54 NT$82.8

-82.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$0.45 NT$14.70

-4.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

$8.97 NT$292

-39.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.00 NT$32.62

-18.00%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-30.02%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$23.5K NT$765.9K

35.16%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$64.7 NT$2,108

22.27%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$17.55 NT$572

-63.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$26.76 NT$872

-30.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$30.55 NT$996

61.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$9.62 NT$314

-55.61%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$712 NT$23.2K

-31.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$16.1K NT$525.9K

-64.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$62.2 NT$2,027

-28.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$39.01 NT$1,272

-10.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$82.8 NT$2,698

-3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$102 NT$3,317

-21.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$374 NT$12.2K

200.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$244 NT$7,940

175.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$3,070 NT$100.1K

-11.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,843 NT$60.1K

23.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$2,038 NT$66.4K

-91.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

2.4

474.17%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 63.7% $428

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 28.8% $83

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 12.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 19.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 4.7% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 14.2% $8.2

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 48.2% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $374 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays about 12 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 $46 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $372 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

269,874

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Chiayi 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Chiayi

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 Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $374 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,041 in Chiayi – Chiayi is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 35% less than in Chiayi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Chiayi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.