Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Hawassa
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
$834
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $834 in Hawassa, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Hawassa $834

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,199 in Hawassa, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Hawassa $1,199

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,564 in Hawassa, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Hawassa $1,564

Ubud, Bali costs about 64% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$3.90 ETB 625
-14.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$42.11 ETB 6,758
-16.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$6.56 ETB 1,054
-11.59%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$0.95 ETB 153
187.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$0.63 ETB 102
160.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$0.69 ETB 110
20.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$0.83 ETB 133
225.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$2.30 ETB 370
86.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.07 ETB 172
40.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$1.17 ETB 188
96.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.01 ETB 163
16.83%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$1.58 ETB 253
35.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$7.40 ETB 1,188
136.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$10.07 ETB 1,616
-59.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$9.09 ETB 1,458
34.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$5.35 ETB 859
-33.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$0.68 ETB 109
130.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$2.13 ETB 341
5.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$0.66 ETB 106
192.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$0.50 ETB 80.5
276.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$1.06 ETB 169
116.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$0.69 ETB 110
43.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$0.57 ETB 91.3
-7.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$8.18 ETB 1,312
-72.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$5.55 ETB 891
314.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$0.66 ETB 106
254.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$1.28 ETB 206
127.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$1.31 ETB 210
-63.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$0.27 ETB 42.86
70.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$2.03 ETB 326
168.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$0.92 ETB 147
-4.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$54.6K ETB 8.8M
-55.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$56.4K ETB 9.0M
-44.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$202 ETB 32.5K
-58.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$7.21 ETB 1,158
-10.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$213 ETB 34.2K
-91.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$3.84 ETB 616
14.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$136 ETB 21.9K
261.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$30.2K ETB 4.9M
-80.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$33.37 ETB 5,356
38.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$70.7 ETB 11.3K
-50.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$78.6 ETB 12.6K
0.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$83.6 ETB 13.4K
-6.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$494 ETB 79.3K
353.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Hawassa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
18.5
-25.51%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Hawassa
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Hawassa
$205 29.3% $85
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Hawassa
$76 29.8% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Hawassa
$423 291% $315
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Hawassa
$120 11.4% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Hawassa
$7.7 * 88.1% $57
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Hawassa
$2.6 * 79% $9.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $42.00 in Hawassa. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Ubud, Bali vs $205 in Hawassa – so Hawassa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇪🇹 Hawassa
🕒 Local time
15:21 3:21 PM
10:21 10:21 AM
5 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
160,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Hawassa 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in Hawassa compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, $834 in Hawassa – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Hawassa?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,252 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $42.00 in Hawassa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 41% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Hawassa?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $834 in Hawassa to $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ubud, Bali or Hawassa safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Ubud, Bali and Hawassa?
If budget matters most, go with Hawassa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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?