Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Karlovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $785 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Karlovo
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$785
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $785 in Karlovo, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Karlovo $785

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,263 in Karlovo, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Karlovo $1,263

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,742 in Karlovo, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Karlovo $1,742

Ubud, Bali costs about 72% more than Karlovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 0% above the global median, while Karlovo is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$7.09 BGN 12.34
-54.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$33.57 BGN 58.4
3.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$8.66 BGN 15.07
-34.18%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$1.45 BGN 2.53
80.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$1.03 BGN 1.79
66.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.74 BGN 1.28
9.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$1.96 BGN 3.41
35.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$1.75 BGN 3.04
149.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.17 BGN 2.04
34.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$0.84 BGN 1.47
160.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.87 BGN 3.25
-36.90%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$3.27 BGN 5.69
-33.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$9.92 BGN 17.26
77.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$8.31 BGN 14.45
-54.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$5.86 BGN 10.20
103.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$1.26 BGN 2.19
185.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.96 BGN 3.41
-18.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$2.13 BGN 3.70
8.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$2.11 BGN 3.68
-9.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$0.48 BGN 0.84
270.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$0.90 BGN 1.56
158.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$0.99 BGN 1.71
1.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.77 BGN 1.34
-31.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$3.24 BGN 5.64
-29.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$6.69 BGN 11.64
229.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$0.99 BGN 1.72
137.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$1.89 BGN 3.29
57.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$1.11 BGN 1.93
-79.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$23.67 BGN 41.18
-62.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$1.17 BGN 2.03
-59.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$0.71 BGN 1.23
-39.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$11.78 BGN 20.50
-53.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.40 BGN 2.43
-40.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$30.0K BGN 52.2K
-20.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$22.3K BGN 38.8K
46.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$104 BGN 180
-22.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$14.45 BGN 25.13
-54.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$11.91 BGN 20.72
56.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$29.57 BGN 51.5
83.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
$17.35 BGN 30.18
5.36%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$5.57 BGN 9.69
-23.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$226 BGN 393
118.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$5,755 BGN 10.0K
-2.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$28.50 BGN 49.60
59.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$11.54 BGN 20.08
202.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$56.9 BGN 99.0
36.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$45.99 BGN 80.0
70.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$335 BGN 583
237.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$191 BGN 332
252.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$534 BGN 929
576.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$403 BGN 701
322.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$1,320 BGN 2,297
105.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$1,083 BGN 1,885
106.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Karlovo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$448 BGN 779
-62.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
3.25
324.00%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karlovo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Karlovo
$191 71.6% $482
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Karlovo
$205 28.5% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Karlovo
$64 39.6% $42
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Karlovo
$121 13.2% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Karlovo
$130 23.6% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Karlovo
$41 35% $22
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Karlovo
$33 164% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $335 in Karlovo. 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 169% higher in Karlovo, 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 $34.00 in Karlovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $205 – making Karlovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇧🇬 Karlovo
🕒 Local time
03:43 3:43 AM
22:43 10:43 PM
5 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
23,919
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Karlovo 10,680 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Karlovo

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 Karlovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Karlovo cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,177 in Karlovo. 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 Karlovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 166% less in Karlovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $226 in Karlovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or in Karlovo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Ubud, Bali or Karlovo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Karlovo – 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 Karlovo?
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 Karlovo. 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.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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