Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
Learn more

Hua-lien Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,076 in Hua-lien.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Hua-lien $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,820 in Hua-lien.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Hua-lien $1,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,563 in Hua-lien.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Hua-lien $2,563

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 27% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Hua-lien is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$3.99 NT$129

-16.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$28.74 NT$932

22.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$4.28 NT$139

35.51%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$2.78 NT$90.3

-1.80%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.93 NT$30.01

76.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.56 NT$18.18

48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$1.33 NT$43.12

103.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$2.09 NT$67.6

105.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$2.93 NT$95.1

-48.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.76 NT$56.9

30.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$4.50 NT$146

-73.78%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$1.98 NT$64.1

8.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$19.63 NT$636

-10.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$6.20 NT$201

-35.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$25.54 NT$828

-52.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$2.66 NT$86.3

33.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$2.50 NT$80.9

-37.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$3.21 NT$104

-30.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$3.18 NT$103

-39.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$2.43 NT$78.7

-22.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$2.30 NT$74.6

-0.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$2.02 NT$65.5

-50.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.98 NT$31.72

-45.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$3.88 NT$126

-41.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$12.63 NT$410

82.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.91 NT$62.1

22.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$2.35 NT$76.1

23.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.61 NT$19.64

-60.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$36.66 NT$1,189

-75.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$3.08 NT$99.8

-84.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.31 NT$9.91

48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$10.36 NT$336

-47.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.89 NT$28.98

-1.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$33.7K NT$1.1M

-27.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$26.6K NT$862.6K

17.25%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$103 NT$3,332

-19.22%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$19.48 NT$632

-66.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$12.54 NT$407

48.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$36.61 NT$1,187

52.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$10.12 NT$328

-56.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$493 Rp 8.9M

$767 NT$24.9K

-35.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$16.4K NT$533.1K

-65.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$57.1 NT$1,850

-19.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$36.07 NT$1,170

-2.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$79.5 NT$2,576

-0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$107 NT$3,455

-26.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$404 NT$13.1K

183.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$253 NT$8,204

167.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$985 NT$31.9K

255.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$740 NT$24.0K

129.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$7,755 NT$251.5K

-64.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$4,989 NT$161.8K

-55.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$2,940 NT$95.3K

-94.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

2.13

546.95%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Hua-lien

$253 23.5% 62.6% $423

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Hua-lien

$368 34.2% 26.6% $77

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Hua-lien

$95 8.8% 12.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Hua-lien

$135 12.5% 24.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Hua-lien

$126 11.7% 16.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Hua-lien

$57 5.3% 12% $7.7

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Hua-lien

$44 4.1% 248% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $404 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 1686% 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 $29.00 in Hua-lien. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $368, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

105,034

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Hua-lien 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1686% lower in Hua-lien. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $404 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Ubud, Bali pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hua-lien delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,076 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hua-lien hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Hua-lien are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.