Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Karnal

For one person, living is cheaper in Karnal: $336 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Karnal
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Karnal Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Karnal

🇮🇳 India

$336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $336 in Karnal.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Karnal $336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $540 in Karnal.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Karnal $540

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $744 in Karnal.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Karnal $744

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 307% more expensive than in Karnal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Karnal is 75% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$1.59 ₹151

109.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$10.31 ₹979

241.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$1.95 ₹185

197.44%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$1.56 ₹148

75.00%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.36 ₹34.56

355.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.10 ₹9.25

730.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$1.28 ₹122

110.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$2.37 ₹225

81.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$0.56 ₹53.2

167.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$0.51 ₹48.35

350.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.74 ₹70.7

59.46%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$0.86 ₹81.3

148.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$5.04 ₹478

246.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$3.34 ₹318

20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$2.20 ₹209

61.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$0.55 ₹51.9

185.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$1.19 ₹113

88.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$0.38 ₹36.13

407.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$0.29 ₹27.90

548.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$0.29 ₹27.74

689.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.61 ₹57.7

62.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.29 ₹27.77

82.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$3.46 ₹328

-34.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$8.81 ₹836

161.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.23 ₹117

90.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$1.71 ₹163

70.18%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.25 ₹594

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.15 ₹14.71

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$16.93 ₹1,608

-47.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$0.32 ₹30.64

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.10 ₹9.42

360.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$1.53 ₹145

256.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$1.03 ₹98.2

-14.56%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$7,718 ₹732.9K

218.31%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

150.53%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$42.78 ₹4,062

94.04%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$2.56 ₹243

151.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$5.63 ₹534

229.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$12.97 ₹1,232

330.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$4.09 ₹388

342.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$2.64 ₹250

65.91%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$26.53 ₹2,520

1758.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$618 ₹58.7K

831.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$12.33 ₹1,171

274.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$27.55 ₹2,616

28.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$46.72 ₹4,436

69.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$21.73 ₹2,064

260.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$64.4 ₹6,116

1673.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$45.01 ₹4,274

1401.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$181 ₹17.2K

1837.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$129 ₹12.3K

1212.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$1,128 ₹107.1K

146.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$371 ₹35.2K

504.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$442 ₹42.0K

-62.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.58

60.61%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karnal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Karnal

$45 13.4% 93.3% $631

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Karnal

$104 31.1% 64% $186

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Karnal

$50 15% 53.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Karnal

$51 15.2% 52.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Karnal

$49 14.5% 54.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Karnal

$18 5.4% 71.8% $46

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Karnal

$18 5.5% 46.4% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $64.4 in Karnal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karnal pays 169% 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 $10.00 in Karnal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $104 per month, with Karnal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇳 Karnal

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

04:59 4:59 AM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

286,974

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,268 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Karnal 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Karnal

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 Karnal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karnal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 307% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 169% lower in Karnal. 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 $64.4 in Karnal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karnal – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $336 in Karnal – a 307% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $336 in Karnal versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karnal but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Karnal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Karnal is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Karnal 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 Karnal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 307% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.