Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Iowa City, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,251 in Iowa City, IA.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Iowa City, IA $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,264 in Iowa City, IA.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Iowa City, IA $3,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,276 in Iowa City, IA.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Iowa City, IA $4,276

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 40% less than in Iowa City, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$15.12 $15.12

-78.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

$67.3 $67.3

-47.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$9.03 $9.03

-38.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$5.54 $5.54

-50.90%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.77 $2.77

-38.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$2.23 $2.23

-65.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$4.86 $4.86

-45.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$7.13 $7.13

-38.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$0.92 $0.92

61.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$2.79 $2.79

-18.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.02 $2.02

-41.09%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$3.71 $3.71

-45.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

$9.43 $9.43

87.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$10.64 $10.64

-62.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

$19.95 $19.95

-38.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$3.37 $3.37

8.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.22 $1.22

24.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.65 $2.65

-15.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$4.87 $4.87

-59.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.98 $1.98

-6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$2.36 $2.36

2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.71 $1.71

-42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,316

$2.38 $2.38

-78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$10.13 $10.13

-78.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

$13.70 $13.70

62.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.72 $1.72

31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$4.54 $4.54

-34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,555

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,975

$3.91 $3.91

-88.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,804

$1.97 $1.97

-78.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

$43.67 $43.67

-87.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.99 $0.99

-17.17%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

$27.2K $27.2K

-12.28%

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

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

$25.8K $25.8K

23.16%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$271 $271

-70.87%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

$51.5 $51.5

-87.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

$81.6 $81.6

-77.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

$29.80 $29.80

66.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

$19.65 $19.65

-10.18%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

$13.86 $13.86

-69.19%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$1,292 $1,292

-62.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

$23.7K $23.7K

-76.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

$64.4 $64.4

-30.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

$49.68 $49.68

-29.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$98.6 $98.6

-18.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$115 $115

-30.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,242 $1,242

-9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$1,003 $1,003

-33.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,933 $1,933

84.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$1,637 $1,637

5.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$3,514 $3,514

-22.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,811 $1,811

26.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$3,822 $3,822

-95.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.45

113.64%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6% 49.3% $331

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6% 21.9% $63

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1% 154% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6% 37.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Iowa City, IA

$404 18% 289% $300

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6% 0.9% $0.5

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6% 20.5% $2.3

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays about 23 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $67 in Iowa City, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $352 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

15:37 3:37 PM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

74,828

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,337 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Iowa City, IA 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Ubud, Bali. 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: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,292 in Iowa City, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Iowa City, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Iowa City, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.