Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,183 a month against $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Koh Samui

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

A single person spends $1,348 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Koh Samui $1,183

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,939 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Koh Samui $1,939

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,694 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Koh Samui $2,694

Ubud, Bali costs about 14% more than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Koh Samui is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$4.36 ฿146

-23.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$32.80 ฿1,098

7.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$8.50 ฿285

-32.24%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$2.73 ฿91.3

-3.66%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$0.94 ฿31.60

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$0.50 ฿16.59

54.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$2.54 ฿84.9

6.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$3.73 ฿125

21.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$1.74 ฿58.2

-12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$1.46 ฿48.79

50.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$1.56 ฿52.2

-21.79%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$2.10 ฿70.3

1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$19.60 ฿656

-9.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$3.27 ฿110

18.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$10.94 ฿366

9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$2.96 ฿99.0

21.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$1.69 ฿56.5

-10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$2.22 ฿74.2

4.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$2.10 ฿70.3

-4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$1.46 ฿48.79

23.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$1.33 ฿44.53

79.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.11 ฿37.27

-10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

$0.51 ฿16.97

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$4.23 ฿142

-48.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$18.25 ฿611

25.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$1.74 ฿58.3

37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$2.87 ฿95.9

4.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$2.46 ฿82.5

-90.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

$45.15 ฿1,512

-84.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$3.08 ฿103

-85.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$1.06 ฿35.62

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$3.89 ฿130

40.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.50 ฿50.3

-44.00%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

$28.2K ฿944.4K

-13.76%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

$27.7K ฿925.9K

15.31%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$102 ฿3,405

-20.52%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$11.78 ฿394

-44.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$17.76 ฿595

2.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$54.1 ฿1,812

1.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

$11.53 ฿386

60.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$7.73 ฿259

-45.15%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$615 ฿20.6K

-21.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$12.4K ฿415.9K

-54.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$61.9 ฿2,073

-27.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

$28.96 ฿969

19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$94.6 ฿3,167

-16.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$88.2 ฿2,951

-11.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$619 ฿20.7K

81.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$389 ฿13.0K

73.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$1,761 ฿59.0K

105.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$1,025 ฿34.3K

69.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

$2,971 ฿99.5K

-4.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

$2,176 ฿72.8K

6.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$397 ฿13.3K

-58.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Koh Samui

$389 33.5% 42.3% $285

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Koh Samui

$267 23% 7.8% $23

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Koh Samui

$119 10.2% 10.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Koh Samui

$123 10.6% 15.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Koh Samui

$131 11.3% 24.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Koh Samui

$70 6% 9.4% $6

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Koh Samui

$63 5.5% 504% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $619 in Koh Samui. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 140% higher in Koh Samui, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $33.00 in Koh Samui. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $267 – making Koh Samui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

62,110

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Koh Samui 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Koh Samui

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 Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, $1,183 in Koh Samui – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,022 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,775 in Koh Samui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Samui, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $33.00 in Koh Samui. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,348. In Koh Samui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Koh Samui has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,183 in Koh Samui to $1,348 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Koh Samui. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.