Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Ipoh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipoh: $922 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Ipoh
Learn more

Ipoh Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Ipoh

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $922 in Ipoh, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Ipoh $922

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,372 in Ipoh, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Ipoh $1,372

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,821 in Ipoh, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Ipoh $1,821

Ubud, Bali costs about 48% more than Ipoh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Ipoh is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$3.26 MYR 13.29

2.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$19.29 MYR 78.7

82.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$4.51 MYR 18.38

28.60%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$2.80 MYR 11.41

-2.50%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.70 MYR 2.87

134.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.44 MYR 1.81

88.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$4.34 MYR 17.70

-37.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$4.52 MYR 18.42

-4.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.97 MYR 8.05

-23.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.05 MYR 4.29

119.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.36 MYR 5.56

-13.24%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$2.21 MYR 9.03

-3.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$13.65 MYR 55.7

28.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$4.56 MYR 18.62

-11.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$7.64 MYR 31.16

60.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$3.01 MYR 12.27

17.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.77 MYR 7.21

-11.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$2.22 MYR 9.05

0.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$1.56 MYR 6.34

23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.28 MYR 5.22

46.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$1.34 MYR 5.48

70.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.13 MYR 4.62

-12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.45 MYR 1.82

17.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$4.32 MYR 17.63

-47.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$16.98 MYR 69.3

35.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$3.48 MYR 14.22

-32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$4.57 MYR 18.64

-36.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.62 MYR 2.54

-61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$11.56 MYR 47.14

-23.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$1.24 MYR 5.07

-61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$1.23 MYR 5.04

-62.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$5.04 MYR 20.56

8.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.52 MYR 2.11

69.23%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$41.3K MYR 168.7K

-40.58%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-10.02%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$61.9 MYR 253

34.02%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$8.92 MYR 36.37

-27.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$26.24 MYR 107

-29.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$40.16 MYR 164

38.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$6.93 MYR 28.26

161.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$3.33 MYR 13.59

31.53%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$305 MYR 1,242

61.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$13.3K MYR 54.2K

-56.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$61.5 MYR 251

-24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$36.00 MYR 147

-1.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$61.8 MYR 252

27.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$62.0 MYR 253

26.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$401 MYR 1,635

185.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$298 MYR 1,217

126.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$679 MYR 2,770

415.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$490 MYR 2,001

246.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$2,059 MYR 8,400

35.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,093 MYR 4,458

105.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$973 MYR 3,968

-83.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.99

245.36%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ipoh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Ipoh

$298 32.4% 55.8% $377

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Ipoh

$250 27.2% 13.7% $40

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Ipoh

$108 11.8% 0.3% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Ipoh

$97 10.5% 10.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Ipoh

$100 10.8% 7.4% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Ipoh

$47 5.1% 27.5% $18

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Ipoh

$21 2.3% 71.1% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $401 in Ipoh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 491% higher in Ipoh, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $19.00 in Ipoh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $250 – making Ipoh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Ipoh

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

759,952

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Ipoh 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Ipoh

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 Ipoh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 48% more than Ipoh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,383 in Ipoh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ipoh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Ipoh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $305 in Ipoh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ipoh, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Ipoh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ipoh costs $922 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Ipoh. 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.