Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Fairfax, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $3,428 in Fairfax, VA, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Fairfax, VA, United States
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Fairfax, VA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,428
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Fairfax, VA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,428 in Fairfax, VA.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Fairfax, VA $3,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,787 in Fairfax, VA.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Fairfax, VA $4,787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $6,147 in Fairfax, VA.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Fairfax, VA $6,147

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 61% less than in Fairfax, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
$19.15 $19.15
-82.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 646.5K
$96.5 $96.5
-63.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
$11.84 $11.84
-53.29%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$6.08 $6.08
-55.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$3.20 $3.20
-46.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$2.52 $2.52
-69.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
$6.85 $6.85
-61.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$8.06 $8.06
-45.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$1.10 $1.10
35.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
$4.07 $4.07
-43.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$5.39 $5.39
-77.92%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$5.40 $5.40
-62.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.1K
$16.98 $16.98
4.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$14.95 $14.95
-73.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.1K
$18.63 $18.63
-34.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
$5.89 $5.89
-37.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$2.26 $2.26
-32.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$5.79 $5.79
-61.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$5.73 $5.73
-65.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$2.76 $2.76
-32.97%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
$3.74 $3.74
-35.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$2.45 $2.45
-59.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,313
$2.68 $2.68
-80.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$13.63 $13.63
-83.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.4K
$15.84 $15.84
40.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$2.63 $2.63
-14.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$4.54 $4.54
-34.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,553
$2.70 $2.70
-90.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.9K
$68.7 $68.7
-88.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,972
$2.98 $2.98
-85.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,801
$1.47 $1.47
-70.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.1K
$24.06 $24.06
-77.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.07 $1.07
-23.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.4M
$35.6K $35.6K
-33.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.9M
$26.1K $26.1K
21.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$212 $212
-62.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.9K
$65.6 $65.6
-90.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.0K
$77.3 $77.3
-75.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 897.5K
$68.6 $68.6
-27.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.1K
$25.20 $25.20
-29.96%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.5K
$17.96 $17.96
-76.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$1,906 $1,906
-74.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.9M
$35.2K $35.2K
-83.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 809.7K
$52.5 $52.5
-14.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 634.0K
$54.9 $54.9
-36.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$92.6 $92.6
-13.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$112 $112
-28.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$2,474 $2,474
-54.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$1,920 $1,920
-65.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
$3,353 $3,353
6.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$2,733 $2,733
-36.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
$5,371 $5,371
-49.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$3,702 $3,702
-38.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Fairfax, VA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$5,746 $5,746
-97.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
6.72
105.06%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fairfax, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Fairfax, VA
$1.9K 186% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Fairfax, VA
$483 67.4% $194
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Fairfax, VA
$335 211% $227
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Fairfax, VA
$140 30.4% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Fairfax, VA
$355 241% $251
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Fairfax, VA
$105 80.1% $47
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Fairfax, VA
$90 687% $78

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $2,474 in Fairfax, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fairfax, VA pays about 35 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $97 in Fairfax, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $483 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇺🇸 Fairfax, VA
🕒 Local time
14:14 2:14 PM
01:14 1:14 AM
13 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
24,146
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Fairfax, VA 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Fairfax, VA

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 Fairfax, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Fairfax, VA?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Fairfax, VA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Fairfax, VA?
On paper, salaries run 97% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Fairfax, VA?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,474 in Fairfax, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Fairfax, VA?
Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Fairfax, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Fairfax, VA?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $97 in Fairfax, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Fairfax, VA?
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.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ubud, Bali or Fairfax, VA?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Fairfax, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?