Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Elgin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $1,803 in Elgin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
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Elgin Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,803 in Elgin.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Elgin $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,850 in Elgin.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Elgin $2,850

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,896 in Elgin.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Elgin $3,896

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 25% less than in Elgin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 0% above, Elgin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$21.57 £16.19

-85.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$71.8 £53.9

-51.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$10.25 £7.69

-44.39%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$4.55 £3.41

-42.42%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.97 £1.48

-12.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.29 £0.97

-37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$4.42 £3.32

-40.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$6.01 £4.51

-27.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.67 £1.25

-5.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.64 £1.23

33.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.07 £1.55

-43.00%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$3.84 £2.88

-43.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$9.22 £6.91

91.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$9.29 £6.97

-59.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$17.24 £12.94

-30.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$3.27 £2.45

10.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.57 £1.18

1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$2.99 £2.25

-22.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$3.31 £2.48

-42.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.91 £1.43

-6.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.60 £1.20

45.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.20 £0.90

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$1.63 £1.22

-67.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$23.90 £17.93

-90.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$11.15 £8.37

97.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$3.35 £2.51

-29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$3.34 £2.51

-10.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$3.56 £2.67

-93.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$122 £91.3

-92.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$5.69 £4.27

-91.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$1.18 £0.89

-63.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$26.07 £19.56

-79.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$2.18 £1.63

-61.93%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$38.1K £28.6K

-37.29%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$40.8K £30.6K

-19.56%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$200 £150

-60.00%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$20.02 £15.02

-67.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$40.17 £30.14

-53.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$37.00 £27.76

46.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$5.47 £4.10

234.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$11.09 £8.32

-61.68%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$937 £703

-47.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$22.0K £16.5K

-74.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$36.15 £27.12

26.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$45.40 £34.06

-23.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$106 £79.8

-26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$91.0 £68.3

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$908 £681

24.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$590 £443

14.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$1,784 £1,339

102.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$1,199 £900

41.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$5,068 £3,802

-46.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$3,862 £2,897

-41.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$2,018 £1,514

-91.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.79

187.68%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Elgin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Elgin

$590 32.7% 12.3% $83

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Elgin

$316 17.5% 10% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Elgin

$126 7% 17.8% $19

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Elgin

$305 16.9% 187% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Elgin

$260 14.4% 147% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Elgin

$59 3.3% 5.5% $3.4

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Elgin

$148 8.2% 1087% $135

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $908 in Elgin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elgin pays 1113% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $72.0 in Elgin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $316 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇬🇧 Elgin

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

18:49 6:49 PM

7 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

25,040

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Elgin 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Elgin

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 Elgin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Elgin differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $1,803 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1113% lower in Elgin. 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: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $908 in Elgin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 1267% less than in Elgin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $937 in Elgin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,803 in Elgin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Elgin. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Elgin 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Elgin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.