Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cixi Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cixi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,395 in Ubud, Bali versus $708 in Cixi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,559 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,144 in Cixi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,724 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,580 in Cixi.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 97% more expensive than Cixi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 4% above, Cixi is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 Rp 59.7K

$2.77 ¥18.93

25.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.88 Rp 564.0K

$21.67 ¥148

51.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 Rp 87.3K

$4.80 ¥32.77

6.04%

Cappuccino

$2.75 Rp 47.1K

$3.00 ¥20.50

-8.33%

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

$1.38 Rp 23.7K

$0.44 ¥2.99

213.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 Rp 12.2K

$0.29 ¥1.99

144.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 Rp 49.4K

$0.94 ¥6.44

206.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 Rp 66.4K

$2.11 ¥14.40

83.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 Rp 30.7K

$1.79 ¥12.26

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 Rp 42.0K

$1.53 ¥10.48

60.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 Rp 20.7K

$0.89 ¥6.08

35.96%

Eggs

$2.39 Rp 40.9K

$1.55 ¥10.58

54.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 Rp 252.1K

$13.02 ¥88.9

12.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 Rp 72.7K

$3.09 ¥21.14

37.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.08 Rp 207.1K

$10.32 ¥70.5

17.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 62.9K

$1.86 ¥12.73

96.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 Rp 27.6K

$1.24 ¥8.47

29.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 Rp 46.6K

$1.48 ¥10.14

83.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 39.0K

$1.14 ¥7.82

99.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 32.6K

$0.70 ¥4.75

171.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 Rp 39.4K

$0.97 ¥6.59

137.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 17.4K

$0.60 ¥4.09

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 Rp 13.4K

$0.54 ¥3.70

44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 Rp 55.7K

$3.14 ¥21.45

3.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.06 Rp 412.7K

$10.58 ¥72.3

127.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 Rp 48.7K

$0.80 ¥5.46

255.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 Rp 47.8K

$1.59 ¥10.85

75.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,610

$0.27 ¥1.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.24 Rp 141.4K

$16.49 ¥113

-50.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 7,708

$1.42 ¥9.70

-68.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,305

$0.35 ¥2.42

22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 Rp 103.3K

$6.70 ¥45.73

-10.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 14.7K

$1.18 ¥8.04

-27.12%

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

$26.1K Rp 447.1M

$19.2K ¥131.1K

35.81%

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

$31.7K Rp 543.7M

$17.3K ¥118.1K

83.26%

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

$78.3 Rp 1.3M

$44.62 ¥305

75.57%

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

$4.00 Rp 68.5K

$10.05 ¥68.7

-60.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.35 Rp 417.7K

$11.74 ¥80.2

107.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.8 Rp 1.6M

$41.66 ¥285

129.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.46 Rp 110.7K

$14.14 ¥96.6

-54.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.01 Rp 68.7K

$5.76 ¥39.31

-30.38%

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

$302 Rp 5.2M

$340 ¥2,322

-11.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,545 Rp 112.3M

$16.5K ¥112.6K

-60.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 Rp 916.3K

$44.48 ¥304

20.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 Rp 661.2K

$29.95 ¥205

28.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 Rp 1.5M

$71.6 ¥489

24.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 Rp 1.4M

$71.9 ¥491

9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 Rp 17.4M

$279 ¥1,905

264.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 Rp 11.5M

$196 ¥1,340

242.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,368 Rp 57.8M

$591 ¥4,036

470.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,108 Rp 36.2M

$353 ¥2,412

496.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,001 Rp 51.5M

$3,062 ¥20.9K

-1.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,337 Rp 40.1M

$2,021 ¥13.8K

15.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$178 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

3.89

241.39%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: April 12, 2026

Last update for Cixi: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Ubud, Bali and $279 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33 in Ubud, Bali vs $22 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $198 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 97% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,092 in Ubud, Bali and $1,062 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,016 in Ubud, Bali versus $279 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $302 in Ubud, Bali versus $340 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Cixi versus $1,395 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $708 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Cixi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.