Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kiambu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiambu: $503 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Kiambu, Kenya
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Kiambu
🇰🇪 Kenya
$503
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $503 in Kiambu.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Kiambu $503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $823 in Kiambu.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Kiambu $823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,143 in Kiambu.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Kiambu $1,143

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 168% more expensive than in Kiambu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
$6.41 KES 833
-48.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 647.8K
$34.12 KES 4,431
4.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
$6.52 KES 847
-15.18%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
$2.60 KES 337
4.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$0.64 KES 83.4
165.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.62 KES 81.1
22.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$2.26 KES 293
17.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
$2.62 KES 340
67.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$0.54 KES 70.8
175.93%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
$0.55 KES 71.5
314.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.83 KES 237
-34.97%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
$1.37 KES 179
48.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.7K
$10.71 KES 1,391
65.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 72.0K
$6.67 KES 866
-40.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.6K
$4.01 KES 520
203.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.4K
$3.50 KES 455
4.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
$1.04 KES 135
46.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$0.75 KES 97.0
197.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
$0.59 KES 77.1
233.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$0.72 KES 93.7
156.94%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
$0.71 KES 92.5
240.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$0.30 KES 38.52
230.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,332
$0.37 KES 47.84
37.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$3.39 KES 440
-34.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 404.2K
$11.49 KES 1,493
93.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$2.27 KES 295
-0.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
$2.70 KES 350
10.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,562
$0.63 KES 81.3
-60.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,989
$1.51 KES 196
-70.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,817
$0.36 KES 47.33
19.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.3K
$2.81 KES 365
92.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.60 KES 208
-48.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 433.3M
$19.2K KES 2.5M
24.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 577.0M
$21.6K KES 2.8M
46.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$56.4 KES 7,320
40.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
$7.86 KES 1,020
-17.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.7K
$35.13 KES 4,562
-47.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 899.4K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.8K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
$5.82 KES 755
-26.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$280 KES 36.4K
75.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.1M
$12.5K KES 1.6M
-54.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 811.4K
$27.56 KES 3,579
61.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 635.3K
$29.19 KES 3,791
19.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
$70.1 KES 9,109
13.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$57.5 KES 7,466
38.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$116 KES 15.0K
871.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
$1,175 KES 152.6K
132.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Kiambu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$125 KES 16.3K
30.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
14.71
-6.32%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kiambu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Kiambu
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Kiambu
$180 37.6% $109
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Kiambu
$124 14.8% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Kiambu
$83 22.8% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Kiambu
$99 4.5% $4.7
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Kiambu
$12 * 80% $46
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Kiambu
$5.8 * 48.9% $5.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $116 in Kiambu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ubud, Bali pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $34 in Kiambu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $180 per month, with Kiambu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇰🇪 Kiambu
🕒 Local time
04:36 4:36 AM
23:36 11:36 PM
5 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
147,870
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Kiambu 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Kiambu

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 Kiambu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kiambu cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Kiambu is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ubud, Bali or Kiambu?
Average pay runs 31% higher in Ubud, Bali, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Ubud, Bali and Kiambu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $116 in Kiambu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $280 in Kiambu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Ubud, Bali or in Kiambu?
Dining out is cheaper in Kiambu – a meal for two runs $34 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or in Kiambu?
At $503 in Kiambu versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kiambu but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Kiambu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Ubud, Bali or in Kiambu?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Kiambu wins on affordability, Ubud, Bali on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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