Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Des Moines, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,299 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Des Moines, IA

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 Des Moines, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,299 in Des Moines, IA.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Des Moines, IA $2,299

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,459 in Des Moines, IA.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Des Moines, IA $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,618 in Des Moines, IA.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Des Moines, IA $4,618

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 42% less than in Des Moines, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Des Moines, IA is 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

$19.89 $19.89

-83.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 629.1K

$102 $102

-66.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.2K

$11.80 $11.80

-52.80%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$6.54 $6.54

-59.94%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.97 $2.97

-48.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$2.47 $2.47

-74.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$5.05 $5.05

-47.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.4K

$5.65 $5.65

-24.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$0.86 $0.86

69.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$3.01 $3.01

-23.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$3.24 $3.24

-65.74%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$3.88 $3.88

-45.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.4K

$9.40 $9.40

69.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.5K

$17.22 $17.22

-77.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 207.0K

$18.91 $18.91

-39.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.5K

$5.25 $5.25

-32.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.52 $1.52

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.92 $4.92

-54.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$3.71 $3.71

-46.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$4.31 $4.31

-56.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$2.24 $2.24

8.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$2.76 $2.76

-63.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,483

$3.04 $3.04

-82.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$10.13 $10.13

-78.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.6K

$14.81 $14.81

47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$1.68 $1.68

38.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.93 $2.93

1.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,546

$1.71 $1.71

-85.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.4K

$57.8 $57.8

-85.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,947

$1.99 $1.99

-77.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,496

$1.25 $1.25

-62.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.7K

$19.83 $19.83

-71.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.01 $1.01

-17.82%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.8M

$26.9K $26.9K

-9.05%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

$25.6K $25.6K

24.04%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$191 $191

-59.46%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.6K

$52.9 $52.9

-88.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.4K

$77.2 $77.2

-75.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.8K

$33.80 $33.80

50.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.3K

$20.24 $20.24

-9.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$9.86 $9.86

-55.58%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$1,313 $1,313

-62.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.9M

$14.6K $14.6K

-16.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.9K

$77.0 $77.0

-41.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 633.4K

$56.1 $56.1

-37.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$103 $103

-23.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$166 $166

-53.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.6M

$1,218 $1,218

-11.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$918 $918

-27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$2,058 $2,058

70.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$1,422 $1,422

17.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.5M

$2,418 $2,418

-3.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

$2,262 $2,262

-1.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$3,788 $3,788

-95.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.57

109.74%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Des Moines, IA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Des Moines, IA

$918 40% 38.1% $254

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Des Moines, IA

$421 18.3% 50.5% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Des Moines, IA

$181 7.9% 69.9% $74

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Des Moines, IA

$331 14.4% 213% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Des Moines, IA

$321 14% 213% $219

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Des Moines, IA

$54 2.3% 10.4% $6.2

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.2% 510% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,218 in Des Moines, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays about 23 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $102 in Des Moines, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $421 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

15:49 3:49 PM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

214,133

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,438 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Des Moines, IA 15,350 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Des Moines, IA

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 Des Moines, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Des Moines, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 96% 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: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,218 in Des Moines, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35 versus $102 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,299 in Des Moines, IA – Ubud, Bali is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali 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 Des Moines, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Des Moines, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.