Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Foshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Foshan
🇨🇳 China
$777
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $777 in Foshan.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Foshan $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,242 in Foshan.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Foshan $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,708 in Foshan.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Foshan $1,708

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 76% more expensive than in Foshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Foshan is 42% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$3.78 ¥25.26
-11.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$22.79 ¥152
54.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$5.11 ¥34.19
13.50%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$3.07 ¥20.50
-11.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$0.52 ¥3.49
215.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$0.31 ¥2.09
167.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$1.22 ¥8.17
121.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$1.89 ¥12.61
127.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.66 ¥11.11
-9.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$1.12 ¥7.48
105.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$0.92 ¥6.16
28.26%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$1.70 ¥11.38
25.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$16.68 ¥112
4.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$3.92 ¥26.18
2.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$10.69 ¥71.5
14.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$3.01 ¥20.16
17.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.27 ¥8.51
23.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$1.90 ¥12.69
17.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$1.63 ¥10.91
18.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$1.09 ¥7.27
72.48%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$0.95 ¥6.38
141.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$0.64 ¥4.26
54.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$0.50 ¥3.36
6.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$2.23 ¥14.89
2.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$10.23 ¥68.4
124.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$0.93 ¥6.24
151.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$1.51 ¥10.13
92.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$0.31 ¥2.08
-22.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$10.62 ¥71.0
-16.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$1.52 ¥10.18
-68.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$0.47 ¥3.15
-2.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$8.81 ¥58.9
-38.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.22 ¥8.19
-27.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$21.3K ¥142.3K
15.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$16.2K ¥108.3K
92.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$84.5 ¥565
-1.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$7.92 ¥53.0
-18.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$15.69 ¥105
18.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$71.4 ¥477
-21.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
$23.83 ¥159
-24.00%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$5.31 ¥35.50
-17.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$457 ¥3,054
7.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$23.3K ¥155.8K
-75.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$42.21 ¥282
9.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$18.76 ¥125
88.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$62.1 ¥415
27.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$91.8 ¥614
-14.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$304 ¥2,031
276.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$159 ¥1,061
325.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$596 ¥3,982
488.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$341 ¥2,279
398.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$4,329 ¥28.9K
-35.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$1,864 ¥12.5K
20.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Foshan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$802 ¥5,362
-79.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
3.83
259.79%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Foshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Foshan
$159 76.5% $517
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Foshan
$220 24.1% $70
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Foshan
$96 12.1% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Foshan
$108 0.1% $0.1
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Foshan
$97 10.1% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Foshan
$82 27% $17
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Foshan
$16 25.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $304 in Foshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Foshan pays 387% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $23.00 in Foshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $220 per month, with Foshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇨🇳 Foshan
🕒 Local time
13:31 1:31 PM
13:31 1:31 PM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
9,498,863
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Foshan 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Foshan

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 Foshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Foshan cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Foshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ubud, Bali or Foshan?
On paper, salaries run 387% lower in Foshan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Ubud, Bali and Foshan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $304 in Foshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 20% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $457 in Foshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or in Foshan?
At $777 in Foshan versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ubud, Bali or Foshan more family-friendly?
For families, Foshan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Ubud, Bali or Foshan?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Foshan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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