Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Karaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaj: $823 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Karaj
Learn more

Karaj Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Karaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $823 in Karaj.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Karaj $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,058 in Karaj.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Karaj $1,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,293 in Karaj.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Karaj $1,293

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 64% more expensive than in Karaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

$3.54 $3.54

-6.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 645.8K

$16.19 $16.19

120.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

$3.97 $3.97

39.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$1.06 $1.06

156.60%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$0.43 $0.43

295.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.65 $1.65

-53.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$0.70 $0.70

112.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.2K

$0.52 $0.52

338.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.07 $2.07

-42.51%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$1.03 $1.03

98.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

$4.48 $4.48

295.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

$3.33 $3.33

18.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 220.9K

$10.43 $10.43

16.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.2K

$0.89 $0.89

311.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.70 $1.70

-10.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$0.80 $0.80

178.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$0.49 $0.49

302.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$0.46 $0.46

302.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$0.47 $0.47

414.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.54 $0.54

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,303

$0.21 $0.21

142.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$2.48 $2.48

-10.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,548

$0.20 $0.20

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

$13.11 $13.11

-40.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,964

$0.29 $0.29

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,793

$0.31 $0.31

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

$2.64 $2.64

104.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$0.08 $0.08

925.00%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.0M

$49.5K $49.5K

-51.79%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.3M

$45.6K $45.6K

-30.40%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$13.24 $13.24

497.13%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

$1.54 $1.54

318.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

$3.81 $3.81

387.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 896.7K

$23.04 $23.04

114.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 319.8K

$10.08 $10.08

75.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.4K

$1.06 $1.06

302.83%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$108 $108

355.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

$839 $839

576.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 808.9K

$25.32 $25.32

76.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 633.4K

$27.83 $27.83

25.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$97.8 $97.8

-18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$73.3 $73.3

8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$298 $298

277.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$488 $488

37.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

$798 $798

346.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

$476 $476

262.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$1,274 $1,274

114.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$527 $527

333.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$239 $239

-31.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-40.09%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karaj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Karaj

$488 59.3% 27.4% $184

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Karaj

$113 13.8% 60.8% $175

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Karaj

$61 7.5% 43.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Karaj

$101 12.3% 6.1% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Karaj

$19 2.3% 82.1% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Karaj

$25 3.1% 56.6% $33

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Karaj

$16 1.9% 38.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $298 in Karaj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karaj pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $16 in Karaj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $113 per month, with Karaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇷 Karaj

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

07:36 7:36 AM

4 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,712,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Karaj 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Karaj

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 Karaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $823 in Karaj, so Karaj is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% 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 $298 in Karaj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 155% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karaj – a meal for two runs $16 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $823 in Karaj versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karaj but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Karaj 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 Karaj are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.