Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Isle of Islay
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,352
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and on the Isle of Islay

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 on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Isle of Islay $4,354

Ubud, Bali is about 42% cheaper than the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and Isle of Islay sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 0%, Isle of Islay by 74%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$21.60 £16.21
-85.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$81.4 £61.1
-57.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$10.60 £7.95
-46.23%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$4.48 £3.36
-41.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$2.48 £1.86
-30.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$1.32 £0.99
-38.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$5.83 £4.37
-54.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$6.01 £4.51
-27.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$2.03 £1.52
-22.66%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.75 £1.32
25.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$2.74 £2.06
-56.93%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$5.41 £4.06
-60.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$7.39 £5.54
138.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$9.52 £7.14
-60.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$15.36 £11.53
-22.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$2.50 £1.88
44.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$2.20 £1.65
-27.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$2.82 £2.12
-18.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$2.87 £2.15
-33.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$3.06 £2.29
-41.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$2.11 £1.58
10.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$1.86 £1.40
-46.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$2.43 £1.82
-78.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$23.79 £17.85
-90.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$12.03 £9.03
83.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$3.26 £2.44
-27.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$3.22 £2.41
-7.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$3.50 £2.62
-93.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$98.1 £73.6
-90.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$4.75 £3.56
-90.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$3.79 £2.84
-88.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$26.58 £19.94
-79.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$2.07 £1.55
-59.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$38.5K £28.9K
-38.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$40.4K £30.3K
-18.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$238 £178
-66.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$13.09 £9.82
-49.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$42.21 £31.67
-55.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$43.82 £32.88
23.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$13.44 £10.08
-68.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$1,918 £1,439
-74.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$24.8K £18.6K
-77.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$100 £75.1
-54.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$57.6 £43.19
-39.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$121 £90.9
-35.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$87.1 £65.4
-9.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$1,272 £955
-11.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$1,039 £779
-35.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$2,126 £1,595
69.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$1,449 £1,087
17.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$5,528 £4,147
-50.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$3,409 £2,558
-34.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Isle of Islay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.41
154.71%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Isle of Islay
$1K 54.4% $366
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Isle of Islay
$334 16.4% $47
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Isle of Islay
$165 54.5% $58
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Isle of Islay
$315 196% $208
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Isle of Islay
$293 179% $188
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Isle of Islay
$71 12.9% $8.1
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Isle of Islay
$136 992% $123

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $334 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇬🇧 Isle of Islay
🕒 Local time
23:46 11:46 PM
16:46 4:46 PM
7 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
3,457
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Isle of Islay 12,720 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Isle of Islay cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Ubud, Bali or on the Isle of Islay?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Ubud, Bali and on the Isle of Islay?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,353 in Ubud, Bali and $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. That's a gap of about 74%.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or on the Isle of Islay?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,353, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Ubud, Bali or Isle of Islay more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Ubud, Bali or Isle of Islay?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Isle of Islay 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?