Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Ellicott City, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Ellicott City, MD, United States
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Ellicott City, MD
🇺🇸 United States
$3,488
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Ellicott City, MD

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 Ellicott City, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Ellicott City, MD $3,488

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,646 in Ellicott City, MD, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Ellicott City, MD $4,646

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $5,804 in Ellicott City, MD, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Ellicott City, MD $5,804

Ubud, Bali is about 61% cheaper than Ellicott City, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
$18.21 $18.21
-81.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 648.1K
$95.6 $95.6
-62.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
$10.87 $10.87
-49.13%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
$5.40 $5.40
-49.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$3.35 $3.35
-49.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$2.63 $2.63
-71.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.3K
$6.97 $6.97
-61.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.7K
$8.07 $8.07
-45.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.17 $1.17
27.35%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
$4.11 $4.11
-44.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$3.81 $3.81
-68.77%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
$4.58 $4.58
-55.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.9K
$16.91 $16.91
4.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 72.1K
$13.00 $13.00
-69.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.7K
$18.52 $18.52
-34.18%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.5K
$6.17 $6.17
-40.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
$1.59 $1.59
-4.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$4.13 $4.13
-46.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
$4.08 $4.08
-51.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$2.23 $2.23
-17.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
$2.67 $2.67
-9.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$2.35 $2.35
-57.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,336
$2.23 $2.23
-77.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$13.49 $13.49
-83.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 404.4K
$15.37 $15.37
44.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$2.68 $2.68
-15.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
$3.14 $3.14
-5.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,564
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,992
$1.78 $1.78
-75.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,821
$1.34 $1.34
-67.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.4K
$24.13 $24.13
-77.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$0.94 $0.94
-12.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 433.5M
$23.1K $23.1K
3.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 577.3M
$24.1K $24.1K
31.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$208 $208
-62.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
$49.91 $49.91
-87.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.8K
$79.9 $79.9
-76.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 899.8K
$112 $112
-55.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.9K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
$14.57 $14.57
-70.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$1,921 $1,921
-74.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.2M
$34.9K $34.9K
-83.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 811.7K
$52.5 $52.5
-15.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 635.6K
$56.7 $56.7
-38.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
$93.5 $93.5
-14.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$112 $112
-28.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.5M
$2,498 $2,498
-54.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$2,107 $2,107
-68.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
$3,056 $3,056
16.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$2,695 $2,695
-36.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.7M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
$2,635 $2,635
-13.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Ellicott City, MD
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$5,000 $5,000
-96.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
6.79
102.95%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Ellicott City, MD
$2.1K 214% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Ellicott City, MD
$433 50.3% $145
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Ellicott City, MD
$318 195% $210
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Ellicott City, MD
$142 31.7% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Ellicott City, MD
$338 225% $234
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Ellicott City, MD
$141 143% $83
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Ellicott City, MD
$8.5 * 25.7% $2.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ellicott City, MD are about 31 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $96 in Ellicott City, MD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $433 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD
🕒 Local time
09:26 9:26 AM
21:26 9:26 PM
12 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
65,834
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,242 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Ellicott City, MD 16,390 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Ellicott City, MD

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 Ellicott City, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Ellicott City, MD?
Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 159%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $5,232 in Ellicott City, MD. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,125 there versus $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD.
What are total monthly expenses in Ubud, Bali and in Ellicott City, MD?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD. That makes Ubud, Bali about 61% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,921 in Ellicott City, MD. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Ubud, Bali or in Ellicott City, MD?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Ubud, Bali or Ellicott City, MD more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ellicott City, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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