Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Dorchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,215 in Dorchester, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Dorchester
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Dorchester Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Dorchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,215 in Dorchester.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Dorchester $2,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,259 in Dorchester.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Dorchester $3,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,303 in Dorchester.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Dorchester $4,303

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 39% less than in Dorchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

$15.67 £11.76

-78.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.0K

$80.4 £60.3

-55.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

$5.35 £4.02

3.36%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$4.71 £3.53

-42.25%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$2.67 £2.01

-36.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.76 £1.32

-56.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$7.79 £5.84

-65.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

$6.84 £5.14

-35.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.58 £1.19

-5.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$1.35 £1.02

68.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.02 £1.52

-41.09%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$4.29 £3.22

-52.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

$8.22 £6.17

115.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

$8.83 £6.63

-55.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.0K

$11.70 £8.78

4.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$2.86 £2.14

27.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.82 £1.36

-16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.68 £2.01

-16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$3.97 £2.98

-50.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.95 £1.46

-5.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$1.52 £1.14

59.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.76 £0.57

30.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,306

$2.03 £1.53

-74.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$23.57 £17.69

-90.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.1K

$10.80 £8.11

105.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$2.76 £2.07

-18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$3.53 £2.65

-15.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,550

$3.58 £2.69

-93.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

$97.1 £72.9

-91.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,967

$3.56 £2.67

-87.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,796

$1.68 £1.26

-74.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

$26.52 £19.91

-79.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$2.15 £1.61

-61.86%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.1M

$39.3K £29.5K

-39.33%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

$40.2K £30.2K

-20.99%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$222 £166

-64.35%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

$17.29 £12.98

-62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

$39.24 £29.45

-52.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 896.9K

$45.85 £34.42

7.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 319.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$14.00 £10.51

-69.50%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$2,218 £1,665

-77.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

$25.2K £18.9K

-77.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.1K

$61.0 £45.79

-26.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 633.5K

$47.68 £35.79

-26.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$108 £81.2

-26.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$97.7 £73.3

-18.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,242 £932

-9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$1,037 £778

-35.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

$2,105 £1,580

69.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

$1,681 £1,262

2.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$5,072 £3,807

-46.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$3,947 £2,962

-42.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,813 £1,361

-90.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.87

182.96%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dorchester: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Dorchester

$1K 46.8% 54.4% $365

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Dorchester

$293 13.2% 1.6% $4.6

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Dorchester

$268 12.1% 149% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Dorchester

$142 6.4% 31.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Dorchester

$278 12.6% 167% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Dorchester

$74 3.3% 27.3% $16

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Dorchester

$123 5.6% 980% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,242 in Dorchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dorchester pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $80 in Dorchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $293 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇬🇧 Dorchester

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

00:30 12:30 AM

8 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

19,500

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18,125 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,199 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Dorchester 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Dorchester

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 Dorchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Dorchester. 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 91% 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 $1,242 in Dorchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,218 in Dorchester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $80 in Dorchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

For families, Ubud, Bali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dorchester, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Dorchester are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Dorchester on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.