Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,595 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,595 in Forster.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Forster $2,595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,737 in Forster.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Forster $3,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,879 in Forster.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Forster $4,879

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 49% less than in Forster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Forster is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 60.9K

$17.58 A$25.36

-80.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 625.4K

$92.1 A$133

-62.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.6K

$10.66 A$15.38

-47.75%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.3K

$3.90 A$5.63

-32.82%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

$2.82 A$4.07

-45.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$2.22 A$3.21

-71.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

$6.87 A$9.91

-61.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 76.9K

$5.45 A$7.86

-21.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.64 A$2.37

-10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.4K

$2.91 A$4.20

-21.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$2.38 A$3.43

-53.36%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 37.9K

$5.62 A$8.11

-62.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 287.7K

$12.01 A$17.32

32.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.1K

$9.38 A$13.54

-58.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 205.8K

$16.88 A$24.35

-32.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$3.90 A$5.63

-8.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

$3.10 A$4.48

-50.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$3.40 A$4.91

-34.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

$4.22 A$6.09

-53.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.5K

$3.24 A$4.68

-42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

$2.48 A$3.58

-2.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

$2.38 A$3.43

-57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,427

$1.21 A$1.75

-57.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.7K

$44.92 A$64.8

-95.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 393.2K

$14.05 A$20.27

55.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.0K

$3.96 A$5.72

-41.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.6K

$4.07 A$5.88

-27.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,519

$2.83 A$4.08

-91.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 147.5K

$84.7 A$122

-90.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,901

$3.50 A$5.04

-87.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,446

$1.65 A$2.37

-71.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.1K

$40.37 A$58.2

-86.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.51 A$2.17

-45.03%

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

$24.4K Rp 441.3M

$30.0K A$43.2K

-18.44%

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

$31.7K Rp 572.1M

$27.9K A$40.2K

13.61%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$252 A$364

-69.31%

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

$6.14 Rp 110.9K

$27.69 A$39.94

-77.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 341.4K

$56.6 A$81.6

-66.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 920.4K

$57.0 A$82.2

-10.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 329.4K

$17.43 A$25.14

4.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.1K

$17.45 A$25.17

-74.90%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$2,354 A$3,395

-79.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 220.6M

$27.9K A$40.2K

-56.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 815.1K

$80.3 A$116

-43.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 629.7K

$71.4 A$103

-51.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$113 A$164

-30.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$130 A$188

-40.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.4M

$1,391 A$2,006

-22.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.0M

$1,217 A$1,756

-45.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.4M

$2,287 A$3,299

53.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

$1,794 A$2,588

-6.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.2M

$5,826 A$8,405

-59.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.4M

$4,884 A$7,044

-54.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.92

132.77%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Forster: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Forster

$1.2K 46.9% 83.1% $552

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Forster

$379 14.6% 35.5% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Forster

$178 6.9% 67.3% $72

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Forster

$285 11% 169% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Forster

$337 13% 228% $234

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Forster

$92 3.5% 53.8% $32

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Forster

$108 4.2% 802% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,391 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $92 in Forster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $379 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

3 h ahead of Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

20,554

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Forster 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Forster

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 Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $2,595 in Forster, so Ubud, Bali is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,996 in Ubud, Bali and $3,893 in Forster to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,391 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,354 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Forster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Forster 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 49% less than in Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.