Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,121 in Kirkwall.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Kirkwall $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,026 in Kirkwall.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Kirkwall $3,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,931 in Kirkwall.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Kirkwall $3,931

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 36% less than in Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 0% above, Kirkwall 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$23.63 £17.73

-86.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$94.8 £71.1

-63.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$10.57 £7.93

-46.07%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$3.92 £2.94

-33.16%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$3.26 £2.44

-47.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.31 £0.98

-38.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$6.20 £4.65

-57.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$8.47 £6.36

-48.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$0.79 £0.59

98.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.58 £1.19

38.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.05 £1.54

-42.44%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$3.22 £2.42

-32.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$6.59 £4.95

167.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$8.97 £6.73

-57.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$15.90 £11.92

-24.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$2.20 £1.65

63.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.97 £1.48

-19.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$1.57 £1.18

47.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.32 £0.99

44.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.11 £0.83

60.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.09 £0.82

113.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.77 £0.58

29.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$1.08 £0.81

-50.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$20.10 £15.08

-88.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$9.18 £6.89

140.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$2.71 £2.03

-13.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$2.88 £2.16

3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$10.51 £7.89

-97.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$107 £80.4

-91.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$5.19 £3.90

-90.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$2.58 £1.93

-83.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$27.06 £20.30

-79.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$2.05 £1.54

-59.51%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$37.8K £28.4K

-36.91%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$41.2K £30.9K

-20.34%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$282 £212

-71.68%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$30.12 £22.60

-78.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$33.04 £24.79

-43.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$41.73 £31.31

29.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$11.46 £8.60

-62.91%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$1,237 £928

-60.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$91.5 £68.7

-50.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$43.72 £32.80

-20.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$95.0 £71.3

-18.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$138 £103

-42.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$935 £701

21.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$792 £594

-15.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$1,182 £887

205.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$966 £725

76.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$1,914 £1,436

-91.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.07

171.79%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 17.7% $119

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 12.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 55.3% $59

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 214% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 229% $240

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 3.2% $2

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 1246% $155

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $935 in Kirkwall. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kirkwall pays 1050% 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: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $95.0 in Kirkwall. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $252, with Kirkwall cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

7 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

7,500

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Kirkwall 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Kirkwall differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $2,121 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1050% lower in Kirkwall. 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: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $935 in Kirkwall. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,121 in Kirkwall – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,121 in Kirkwall, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Kirkwall. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Kirkwall 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Kirkwall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.