Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $796 a month against $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$796

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $796 in Colombo.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Colombo $796

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,312 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,198 in Colombo.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Colombo $1,198

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,276 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,600 in Colombo.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Colombo $1,600

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 69% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Colombo is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$4.52 LKR 1,496

-26.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$24.54 LKR 8,118

44.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$7.51 LKR 2,483

-23.30%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$2.49 LKR 825

5.62%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$0.72 LKR 238

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$0.27 LKR 90.2

185.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$2.24 LKR 740

20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$3.08 LKR 1,019

46.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$1.55 LKR 514

-1.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$0.53 LKR 175

315.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$0.81 LKR 267

50.62%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$1.63 LKR 539

31.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$13.98 LKR 4,624

26.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$5.01 LKR 1,657

-22.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$7.29 LKR 2,412

65.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$6.69 LKR 2,212

-46.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$0.84 LKR 278

79.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$4.36 LKR 1,444

-46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$1.22 LKR 405

63.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$0.99 LKR 329

82.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$0.82 LKR 270

191.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$0.93 LKR 307

6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

$0.47 LKR 154

10.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$10.37 LKR 3,432

-78.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$13.56 LKR 4,487

69.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$1.87 LKR 620

28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$2.98 LKR 984

0.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$0.18 LKR 60.7

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

$7.13 LKR 2,358

-1.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$0.38 LKR 125

15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$0.34 LKR 114

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$0.95 LKR 313

473.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.40 LKR 462

-40.00%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

-34.67%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

-21.25%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$54.8 LKR 18.1K

47.45%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$4.17 LKR 1,381

57.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$20.98 LKR 6,941

-13.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$13.81 LKR 4,568

299.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

$5.62 LKR 1,860

229.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$4.35 LKR 1,439

-2.53%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$37.68 LKR 12.5K

1188.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$1,201 LKR 397.2K

372.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$18.01 LKR 5,958

150.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

$16.83 LKR 5,569

105.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$78.2 LKR 25.9K

1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$41.66 LKR 13.8K

86.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$586 LKR 193.8K

92.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$274 LKR 90.7K

145.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$1,514 LKR 500.7K

139.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$438 LKR 144.9K

295.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

$3,694 LKR 1.2M

-23.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

$1,169 LKR 386.8K

97.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$257 LKR 85.1K

-35.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

12.69

8.59%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Colombo

$274 34.1% 59.3% $400

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Colombo

$238 29.6% 18% $52

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Colombo

$110 13.7% 1.7% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 34.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Colombo

$80 10% 24.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 64.6% $41

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Colombo

$10 1.2% 5.1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colombo pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $238 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

753,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Colombo 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Colombo. 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: $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $796 in Colombo versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $796 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Colombo 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 Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.