Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Gangtok

For one person, living is cheaper in Gangtok: $336 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Gangtok
🇮🇳 India
$336
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $336 in Gangtok.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Gangtok $336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $534 in Gangtok.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Gangtok $534

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $732 in Gangtok.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Gangtok $732

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 302% more expensive than in Gangtok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Gangtok is 75% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$2.08 ₹197
55.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$11.58 ₹1,099
201.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$3.57 ₹339
59.66%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$1.40 ₹133
87.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$0.36 ₹33.89
377.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.13 ₹12.65
523.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$1.87 ₹177
41.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$1.58 ₹150
176.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$0.63 ₹59.5
149.21%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$0.44 ₹41.50
397.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$0.62 ₹58.5
90.32%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$0.86 ₹82.1
151.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$4.58 ₹435
285.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$2.80 ₹266
35.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$1.92 ₹183
87.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$0.68 ₹64.7
133.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$0.88 ₹83.4
162.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$0.44 ₹41.59
334.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$0.31 ₹29.79
474.19%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$0.39 ₹37.39
497.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$0.47 ₹44.41
112.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.29 ₹27.35
82.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$5.05 ₹480
-54.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$7.21 ₹685
206.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$1.66 ₹158
41.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$2.58 ₹245
15.50%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.94 ₹469
-
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$0.27 ₹25.67
-14.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$7.80 ₹741
14.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$0.88 ₹83.1
-46.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$0.25 ₹23.62
72.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$1.58 ₹150
246.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.11 ₹106
-25.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$12.6K ₹1.2M
88.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$19.8K ₹1.9M
65.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$34.57 ₹3,283
131.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$3.39 ₹322
93.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$6.60 ₹627
181.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$21.03 ₹1,997
157.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
$6.43 ₹610
184.29%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$2.91 ₹277
46.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$47.04 ₹4,467
947.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$1,432 ₹136.0K
290.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$21.44 ₹2,035
112.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$23.67 ₹2,248
47.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$38.55 ₹3,661
101.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$28.64 ₹2,719
174.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$72.9 ₹6,917
1453.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$46.14 ₹4,381
1358.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$156 ₹14.8K
2217.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$106 ₹10.1K
1506.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$971 ₹92.2K
179.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$526 ₹49.9K
326.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Gangtok
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$242 ₹23.0K
-31.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
8.86
55.53%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gangtok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Gangtok
$46 93.1% $627
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Gangtok
$99 65.6% $189
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Gangtok
$51 52.6% $56
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Gangtok
$59 45% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Gangtok
$45 57.6% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Gangtok
$27 57.1% $36
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Gangtok
$11 11.5% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $72.9 in Gangtok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gangtok pays 46% 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 $12.00 in Gangtok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $99.0 per month, with Gangtok cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇮🇳 Gangtok
🕒 Local time
07:50 7:50 AM
05:20 5:20 AM
2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
100,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Gangtok 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Gangtok

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 Gangtok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gangtok cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Gangtok is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 302% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ubud, Bali or Gangtok?
On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Gangtok. 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 Gangtok?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $72.9 in Gangtok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Ubud, Bali and in Gangtok?
All in, you'll spend $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $336 in Gangtok – a 302% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Gangtok runs roughly 14% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or in Gangtok?
At $336 in Gangtok versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gangtok but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Gangtok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ubud, Bali or Gangtok more family-friendly?
For families, Gangtok 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 Gangtok?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Gangtok 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 Gangtok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 302% 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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