Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Hikkaduwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $509 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Hikkaduwa
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$509
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $509 in Hikkaduwa.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Hikkaduwa $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $826 in Hikkaduwa.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Hikkaduwa $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,144 in Hikkaduwa.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Hikkaduwa $1,144

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 169% more expensive than in Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Hikkaduwa is 62% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.8K
$4.45 LKR 1,475
-25.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 631.2K
$24.59 LKR 8,144
43.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.1K
$7.57 LKR 2,507
-23.38%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.0K
$2.50 LKR 827
9.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.4K
$0.72 LKR 238
127.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$0.27 LKR 90.1
207.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.4K
$2.16 LKR 716
25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.1K
$3.01 LKR 998
42.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.0K
$1.57 LKR 520
-4.46%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.2K
$0.53 LKR 175
333.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.1K
$0.80 LKR 266
47.50%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.5K
$1.60 LKR 530
33.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 313.6K
$14.00 LKR 4,636
24.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.3K
$4.88 LKR 1,618
-17.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 219.4K
$7.26 LKR 2,405
68.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.7K
$6.84 LKR 2,265
-48.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.2K
$0.85 LKR 281
84.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.1K
$4.46 LKR 1,478
-49.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.6K
$1.23 LKR 406
56.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.8K
$1.02 LKR 339
84.31%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$0.82 LKR 270
179.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$0.92 LKR 306
7.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,445
$0.44 LKR 145
20.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.0K
$10.32 LKR 3,418
-77.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 412.9K
$13.70 LKR 4,536
67.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.0K
$1.89 LKR 625
23.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.2K
$3.01 LKR 998
-3.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,301
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,657
$0.38 LKR 126
26.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,207
$0.37 LKR 123
24.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 97.9K
$0.88 LKR 293
519.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.33 LKR 441
-33.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 440.8M
$37.8K LKR 12.5M
-34.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 559.6M
$40.9K LKR 13.5M
-23.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$54.8 LKR 18.2K
51.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 115.7K
$4.14 LKR 1,371
55.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 333.1K
$21.01 LKR 6,959
-11.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 324.9K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.6K
$4.45 LKR 1,474
-1.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.8M
$37.63 LKR 12.5K
1210.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.2M
$1,227 LKR 406.4K
368.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 828.8K
$18.35 LKR 6,077
151.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 634.0K
$16.80 LKR 5,564
110.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$77.6 LKR 25.7K
1.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$42.92 LKR 14.2K
82.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.5M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.1M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 62.9M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.0M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
12.69
8.59%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hikkaduwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Hikkaduwa
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Hikkaduwa
$239 17.8% $52
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Hikkaduwa
$109 0.3% $0.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Hikkaduwa
$80 26% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Hikkaduwa
$70 34.9% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Hikkaduwa
$8.9 * 86.2% $56
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Hikkaduwa
$2.2 * 82.2% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $25.00 in Hikkaduwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $239 per month, with Hikkaduwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa
🕒 Local time
19:10 7:10 PM
16:40 4:40 PM
2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
101,342
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,124 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Hikkaduwa 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Hikkaduwa

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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hikkaduwa cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Hikkaduwa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 169% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $2,051 in Ubud, Bali and $763 in Hikkaduwa 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.
How do food prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Hikkaduwa?
Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Ubud, Bali and in Hikkaduwa?
All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $509 in Hikkaduwa – a 169% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or in Hikkaduwa?
At $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ubud, Bali or Hikkaduwa more family-friendly?
For families, Hikkaduwa 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 Hikkaduwa?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Hikkaduwa 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 Hikkaduwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% 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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