Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Gampaha

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $453 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Gampaha
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $453 in Gampaha.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Gampaha $453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $768 in Gampaha.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Gampaha $768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,083 in Gampaha.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Gampaha $1,083

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 199% more expensive than in Gampaha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Gampaha is 67% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$1.84 LKR 609
75.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$18.22 LKR 6,034
91.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$5.20 LKR 1,721
9.62%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$1.24 LKR 410
111.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$0.53 LKR 176
224.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.25 LKR 82.1
224.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$2.12 LKR 701
25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$3.05 LKR 1,010
43.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.63 LKR 539
-3.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$0.41 LKR 135
434.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$0.73 LKR 241
61.64%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$1.65 LKR 548
30.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$13.91 LKR 4,607
26.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$4.03 LKR 1,334
-6.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$7.43 LKR 2,460
60.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$5.95 LKR 1,972
-39.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$0.82 LKR 270
93.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$4.51 LKR 1,493
-48.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$1.32 LKR 436
44.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$0.95 LKR 314
87.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$0.84 LKR 277
177.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$0.29 LKR 94.8
244.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.34 LKR 114
55.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$9.88 LKR 3,273
-76.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$13.04 LKR 4,319
69.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$1.35 LKR 447
74.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$2.44 LKR 808
22.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$0.29 LKR 95.2
-20.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$0.29 LKR 95.0
62.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$0.36 LKR 120
19.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$0.89 LKR 295
514.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.17 LKR 388
-29.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$30.6K LKR 10.1M
-21.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$39.9K LKR 13.2M
-17.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$27.15 LKR 8,994
194.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$2.99 LKR 991
119.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$10.85 LKR 3,592
71.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$7.73 LKR 2,561
600.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$4.55 LKR 1,508
-6.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$14.93 LKR 4,944
3200.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$121 LKR 40.1K
4526.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$18.28 LKR 6,054
149.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$9.02 LKR 2,987
287.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$59.9 LKR 19.8K
29.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$23.95 LKR 7,933
227.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$90.2 LKR 29.9K
1154.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$56.4 LKR 18.7K
1092.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$302 LKR 100.2K
1094.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$163 LKR 54.0K
944.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Gampaha
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$231 LKR 76.4K
-27.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
10
37.80%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gampaha: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Gampaha
$56 91.6% $616
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Gampaha
$221 23.1% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Gampaha
$50 53.1% $57
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Gampaha
$65 39% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Gampaha
$41 61% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Gampaha
$17 73.1% $46
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Gampaha
$3.2 * 73.9% $9.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $90.2 in Gampaha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gampaha pays 39% 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 $18.00 in Gampaha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $221 per month, with Gampaha cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇱🇰 Gampaha
🕒 Local time
19:38 7:38 PM
17:08 5:08 PM
2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
20,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Gampaha 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Gampaha

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 Gampaha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Gampaha?
Ubud, Bali and Gampaha differ by about 199% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $453 including rent). Gampaha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Gampaha. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Gampaha?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $90.2 in Gampaha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Gampaha?
Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $14.93 in Gampaha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Gampaha – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $453 in Gampaha versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gampaha but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Gampaha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Gampaha?
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.
Is Ubud, Bali or Gampaha safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Gampaha are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Gampaha?
Expats usually find Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 199% less than in Ubud, Bali. 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

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