Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $508 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Kataragama, Sri Lanka
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Kataragama
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$508
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $508 in Kataragama, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Kataragama $508

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $824 in Kataragama, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Kataragama $824

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,140 in Kataragama, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Kataragama $1,140

Ubud, Bali costs about 162% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ubud, Bali and Kataragama are more affordable than the global median – Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Kataragama 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.2K
$3.87 LKR 1,286
-12.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 628.6K
$24.70 LKR 8,214
40.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.1K
$7.34 LKR 2,440
-24.11%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
$2.43 LKR 807
7.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$0.67 LKR 224
129.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$0.27 LKR 90.8
137.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$2.23 LKR 742
19.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.3K
$3.08 LKR 1,025
38.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$1.57 LKR 522
-7.01%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$0.56 LKR 187
308.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$0.76 LKR 253
46.05%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$1.63 LKR 544
28.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.2K
$15.08 LKR 5,015
5.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.4K
$4.89 LKR 1,627
-20.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.8K
$7.66 LKR 2,547
48.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
$6.54 LKR 2,174
-45.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$0.83 LKR 276
85.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$4.08 LKR 1,358
-45.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.31 LKR 437
50.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$1.08 LKR 360
72.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$0.83 LKR 276
191.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$1.24 LKR 414
-17.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,475
$0.45 LKR 150
15.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$10.29 LKR 3,422
-78.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.2K
$13.61 LKR 4,527
60.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$1.96 LKR 652
18.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$2.94 LKR 978
1.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,542
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,941
$0.40 LKR 134
10.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,489
$0.31 LKR 103
51.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
$0.86 LKR 285
551.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.34 LKR 445
-38.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.5M
$43.6K LKR 14.5M
-43.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.0M
$45.6K LKR 15.2M
-30.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$56.8 LKR 18.9K
36.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
$4.15 LKR 1,380
47.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.1K
$20.61 LKR 6,857
-8.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.0K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$4.50 LKR 1,495
-2.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$39.71 LKR 13.2K
1140.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.7M
$17.3K LKR 5.8M
-29.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.2K
$18.27 LKR 6,076
147.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 632.9K
$17.51 LKR 5,825
99.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$77.6 LKR 25.8K
0.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$41.79 LKR 13.9K
86.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Kataragama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
12.5
10.24%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kataragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Kataragama
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Kataragama
$242 13.3% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Kataragama
$70 34.3% $37
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Kataragama
$103 2.4% $2.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Kataragama
$82 20.4% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Kataragama
$9 * 85% $51
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Kataragama
$2 * 83.7% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $25 in Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $242 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇱🇰 Kataragama
🕒 Local time
17:49 5:49 PM
15:19 3:19 PM
2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
20,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,384 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Kataragama 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Kataragama?
Ubud, Bali costs about 162% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Kataragama?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $762 in Kataragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Kataragama?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $508 in Kataragama. That makes Kataragama about 62% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Kataragama?
Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Ubud, Bali and $40 in Kataragama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Ubud, Bali or in Kataragama?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,331. In Kataragama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ubud, Bali or Kataragama?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $508 in Kataragama to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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