Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,131 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Kaohsiung $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,838 in Kaohsiung.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Kaohsiung $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,544 in Kaohsiung.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Kaohsiung $2,544

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 21% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Kaohsiung is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$5.63 NT$183

-40.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$31.36 NT$1,017

12.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$4.65 NT$151

24.73%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$2.78 NT$90.1

-1.80%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$1.08 NT$34.99

51.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.66 NT$21.40

25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$1.52 NT$49.14

77.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$2.49 NT$80.7

72.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$3.10 NT$100

-51.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$2.18 NT$70.7

5.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.94 NT$95.3

-59.86%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$2.68 NT$86.9

-20.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$15.81 NT$513

10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$8.12 NT$263

-50.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$15.55 NT$504

-21.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$6.60 NT$214

-46.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$2.73 NT$88.5

-42.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$2.54 NT$82.2

-11.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$3.13 NT$102

-38.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$2.78 NT$90.2

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$2.00 NT$64.9

14.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$2.43 NT$78.7

-59.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$1.02 NT$33.12

-48.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$4.45 NT$144

-48.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$15.54 NT$504

48.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.57 NT$51.0

49.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$2.20 NT$71.5

32.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.71 NT$23.13

-66.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$12.65 NT$410

-30.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$2.70 NT$87.6

-82.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.75 NT$24.34

-38.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$5.48 NT$178

-0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$1.05 NT$33.97

-16.19%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-26.97%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$23.6K NT$765.3K

32.16%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$85.5 NT$2,773

-2.91%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$17.29 NT$561

-62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$26.39 NT$856

-29.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$40.61 NT$1,317

37.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$10.33 NT$335

75.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$11.13 NT$361

-60.65%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$473 NT$15.3K

4.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$14.1K NT$456.9K

-59.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$92.9 NT$3,013

-50.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$31.16 NT$1,011

13.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$88.0 NT$2,855

-10.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$102 NT$3,310

-23.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$437 NT$14.2K

161.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$301 NT$9,746

124.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$1,005 NT$32.6K

248.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$681 NT$22.1K

149.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$4,523 NT$146.7K

-38.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$3,193 NT$103.5K

-29.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$1,471 NT$47.7K

-88.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

2.56

438.28%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6% 55.5% $375

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1% 24.9% $72

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9% 2.8% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4% 19.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5% 31.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6% 2.6% $1.7

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9% 75% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 794% 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 $31.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $363, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

2,777,873

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Kaohsiung 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Kaohsiung

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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Kaohsiung differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,131 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 794% lower in Kaohsiung. 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 $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $473 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ubud, Bali pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,131 in Kaohsiung versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Kaohsiung 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 Kaohsiung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.