Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $946 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Kota Kinabalu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $946 in Kota Kinabalu.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Kota Kinabalu $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,398 in Kota Kinabalu.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Kota Kinabalu $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,850 in Kota Kinabalu.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Kota Kinabalu $1,850

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 43% more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$3.63 MYR 14.72

-8.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$19.53 MYR 79.2

82.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$4.75 MYR 19.24

16.42%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.61 MYR 10.57

4.21%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.55 MYR 2.22

209.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.30 MYR 1.21

153.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$2.47 MYR 10.00

7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$3.63 MYR 14.72

20.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.81 MYR 7.32

-17.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$1.32 MYR 5.36

72.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.26 MYR 9.16

-47.35%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$3.53 MYR 14.30

-42.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$28.39 MYR 115

-37.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$3.76 MYR 15.25

5.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

$6.62 MYR 26.82

84.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$2.24 MYR 9.09

63.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.45 MYR 5.88

4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.99 MYR 8.08

12.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.98 MYR 8.04

-0.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.74 MYR 7.07

6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$2.05 MYR 8.29

18.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.94 MYR 3.81

5.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$0.48 MYR 1.94

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$4.91 MYR 19.89

-54.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$15.67 MYR 63.5

41.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$3.82 MYR 15.47

-40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.40 MYR 9.74

23.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$0.19 MYR 0.77

31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

$25.16 MYR 102

-68.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$2.01 MYR 8.13

-78.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$0.23 MYR 0.93

86.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.77 MYR 3.14

6.49%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$44.7K MYR 181.3K

-46.68%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

-10.13%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$70.5 MYR 286

12.14%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$9.30 MYR 37.69

-30.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$32.18 MYR 130

-42.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$35.85 MYR 145

38.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

$3.04 MYR 12.34

480.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$5.21 MYR 21.13

-18.04%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$142 MYR 578

244.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$6,866 MYR 27.8K

-17.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$82.7 MYR 335

-46.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$37.42 MYR 152

-6.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$92.8 MYR 376

-13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$49.47 MYR 201

60.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$619 MYR 2,511

81.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$253 MYR 1,026

165.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$708 MYR 2,870

403.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$376 MYR 1,523

358.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$1,810 MYR 7,339

50.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,097 MYR 4,447

108.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$584 MYR 2,366

-71.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.9

253.33%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$253 26.8% 62.3% $418

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$290 30.7% 0.6% $1.6

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.3% 9.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Kota Kinabalu

$118 12.5% 9.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$112 11.8% 7.6% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$46 4.9% 20.2% $12

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$29 3.1% 155% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $619 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kota Kinabalu pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $20 in Kota Kinabalu. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $290, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

500,425

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Kota Kinabalu 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Ubud, Bali. 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: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $619 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $142 in Kota Kinabalu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu – a meal for two runs $20 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kota Kinabalu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Kinabalu delivers better value at $946 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Kinabalu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Kota Kinabalu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.