Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Jaffna

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaffna: $486 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Jaffna

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$486

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $486 in Jaffna, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Jaffna $486

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $774 in Jaffna, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Jaffna $774

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,063 in Jaffna, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Jaffna $1,063

Ubud, Bali costs about 178% more than Jaffna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 0% above the global median, while Jaffna is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$1.04 LKR 345

210.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$39.54 LKR 13.1K

-11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$4.66 LKR 1,544

22.32%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$3.22 LKR 1,065

-18.63%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.60 LKR 531

7.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.52 LKR 173

55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$3.57 LKR 1,183

-25.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$5.99 LKR 1,983

-27.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$0.68 LKR 224

130.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$0.48 LKR 161

356.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.64 LKR 212

84.37%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.40 LKR 464

54.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$4.45 LKR 1,474

296.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$3.20 LKR 1,058

18.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$5.91 LKR 1,959

102.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$3.72 LKR 1,233

-3.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$0.50 LKR 166

218.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$3.07 LKR 1,016

-24.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.48 LKR 491

29.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$0.99 LKR 327

79.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$0.62 LKR 205

275.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.63 LKR 207

58.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.39 LKR 131

35.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$11.67 LKR 3,865

-80.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$18.26 LKR 6,047

20.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$2.56 LKR 848

-8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.31 LKR 103

-25.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$3.08 LKR 1,020

188.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$0.47 LKR 155

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.23 LKR 75.5

86.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.30 LKR 430

-36.15%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

-28.41%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$45.41 LKR 15.0K

76.15%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$2.95 LKR 977

122.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$5.97 LKR 1,977

806.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$1.84 LKR 609

130.98%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$36.40 LKR 12.1K

25.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$154 LKR 51.0K

635.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$138 LKR 45.7K

388.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$224 LKR 74.2K

1513.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$196 LKR 64.9K

768.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jaffna: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Jaffna

–

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Jaffna

–

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Jaffna

–

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Jaffna

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Jaffna

–

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Jaffna

–

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Jaffna

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $154 in Jaffna. 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 $40.00 in Jaffna. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Ubud, Bali vs $169 in Jaffna – so Jaffna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇱🇰 Jaffna

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

19:53 7:53 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

600,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Jaffna 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Jaffna

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 Jaffna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, $486 in Jaffna – roughly 178% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $729 in Jaffna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 189% less in Jaffna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jaffna, where all-in costs run around $486, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Jaffna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $486 in Jaffna to $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Jaffna. 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.