Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kauai, Hawaii

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,632 in Kauai, Hawaii, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Kauai, Hawaii, United States
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Kauai, Hawaii
🇺🇸 United States
$2,632
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Kauai, Hawaii

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,632 in Kauai, Hawaii.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Kauai, Hawaii $2,632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,862 in Kauai, Hawaii.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Kauai, Hawaii $3,862

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $5,093 in Kauai, Hawaii.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Kauai, Hawaii $5,093

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 49% less than in Kauai, Hawaii, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Kauai, Hawaii is 95% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.1K
$19.26 $19.26
-82.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 627.3K
$75.3 $75.3
-54.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 100.9K
$10.83 $10.83
-48.57%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.4K
$5.10 $5.10
-48.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$2.60 $2.60
-40.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$2.03 $2.03
-68.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.3K
$6.02 $6.02
-55.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.2K
$6.81 $6.81
-37.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$1.05 $1.05
39.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.5K
$3.57 $3.57
-35.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.0K
$4.24 $4.24
-73.82%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.0K
$4.06 $4.06
-48.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 288.6K
$12.04 $12.04
32.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.3K
$11.29 $11.29
-65.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.4K
$15.13 $15.13
-24.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.3K
$4.76 $4.76
-25.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.8K
$1.55 $1.55
-0.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$4.17 $4.17
-46.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.7K
$4.72 $4.72
-58.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.6K
$2.88 $2.88
-35.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.8K
$2.89 $2.89
-16.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$2.01 $2.01
-49.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,456
$2.19 $2.19
-76.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.8K
$9.38 $9.38
-76.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 394.4K
$14.26 $14.26
52.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.1K
$1.79 $1.79
30.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
$3.31 $3.31
-10.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,533
$1.95 $1.95
-87.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.0K
$59.2 $59.2
-86.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,925
$3.40 $3.40
-87.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,472
$1.58 $1.58
-70.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.4K
$29.03 $29.03
-80.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$0.83 $0.83
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 442.6M
$29.9K $29.9K
-18.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 573.8M
$25.8K $25.8K
22.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$188 $188
-58.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.2K
$53.7 $53.7
-88.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 342.4K
$67.9 $67.9
-72.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 923.1K
$43.48 $43.48
17.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 330.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.3K
$13.77 $13.77
-68.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$1,309 $1,309
-62.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.2M
$23.9K $23.9K
-48.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 817.6K
$51.3 $51.3
-11.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 631.6K
$40.34 $40.34
-13.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$86.7 $86.7
-9.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$114 $114
-31.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
$1,631 $1,631
-33.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.0M
$1,348 $1,348
-50.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.5M
$2,605 $2,605
34.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.2M
$2,254 $2,254
-25.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
$2,722 $2,722
-14.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.5M
$2,447 $2,447
-8.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Kauai, Hawaii
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
6.51
111.67%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kauai, Hawaii: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Kauai, Hawaii
$1.3K 103% $683
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Kauai, Hawaii
$384 37.3% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Kauai, Hawaii
$131 23.6% $25
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Kauai, Hawaii
$310 193% $204
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Kauai, Hawaii
$309 201% $207
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Kauai, Hawaii
$71 18.8% $11
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Kauai, Hawaii
$78 555% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,631 in Kauai, Hawaii. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $75 in Kauai, Hawaii for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $384 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇺🇸 Kauai, Hawaii
🕒 Local time
06:30 6:30 AM
12:30 12:30 PM
18 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
73,610
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,231 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Kauai, Hawaii 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Kauai, Hawaii

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 Kauai, Hawaii: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Kauai, Hawaii?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Kauai, Hawaii. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Kauai, Hawaii?
You’d need roughly $1,996 in Ubud, Bali and $3,947 in Kauai, Hawaii to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Kauai, Hawaii?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,631 in Kauai, Hawaii. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Ubud, Bali compared to Kauai, Hawaii?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 86% less than in Kauai, Hawaii. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Kauai, Hawaii?
Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,309 in Kauai, Hawaii. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Kauai, Hawaii?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Kauai, Hawaii?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value at $1,331 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Kauai, Hawaii?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Kauai, Hawaii are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Kauai, Hawaii. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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