Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kottayam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kottayam: $284 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
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Kottayam Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $284 in Kottayam, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Kottayam $284

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $465 in Kottayam, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Kottayam $465

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $646 in Kottayam, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Kottayam $646

Ubud, Bali costs about 374% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$1.07 ₹102

210.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$9.67 ₹921

268.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$3.21 ₹305

72.27%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$0.82 ₹78.5

231.71%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.31 ₹29.07

448.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.13 ₹11.95

484.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$1.29 ₹123

105.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$1.82 ₹174

140.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$0.58 ₹54.9

156.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$0.49 ₹46.83

365.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$0.53 ₹50.9

124.53%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$0.85 ₹81.4

140.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$2.05 ₹195

763.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$3.71 ₹353

6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$2.03 ₹194

80.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$0.56 ₹53.3

171.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$0.88 ₹83.7

153.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$0.50 ₹47.87

294.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$0.37 ₹35.49

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$0.38 ₹36.29

536.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.63 ₹60.2

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.27 ₹25.76

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$5.00 ₹476

-55.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$4.02 ₹382

453.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.62 ₹154

39.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$2.20 ₹210

35.00%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.38 ₹322

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.29 ₹27.67

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$7.84 ₹746

-0.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$0.83 ₹78.6

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$0.30 ₹29.01

43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$2.12 ₹202

155.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.08 ₹102

-24.07%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$11.1K ₹1.1M

114.41%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$14.6K ₹1.4M

117.25%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$20.71 ₹1,972

281.75%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$2.96 ₹282

117.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$6.06 ₹577

206.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$6.18 ₹589

700.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$9.38 ₹893

88.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$1.75 ₹167

144.00%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$10.45 ₹995

4594.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$516 ₹49.2K

999.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$18.67 ₹1,778

139.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$15.82 ₹1,507

120.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$21.28 ₹2,026

275.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$12.19 ₹1,161

551.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$115 ₹11.0K

875.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$74.5 ₹7,096

800.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$265 ₹25.2K

1247.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$175 ₹16.7K

884.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$941 ₹89.6K

190.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$550 ₹52.4K

315.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$292 ₹27.8K

-43.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

53.11%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kottayam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Kottayam

$75 26.2% 88.9% $597

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Kottayam

$89 31.2% 69.3% $200

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Kottayam

$40 14% 63% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Kottayam

$31 10.8% 71.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Kottayam

$30 10.5% 71.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Kottayam

$9.7 3.4% 83.3% $48

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Kottayam

$11 4% 0.6% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $115 in Kottayam. 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 78% higher in Kottayam, 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 $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $10 in Kottayam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $89 – making Kottayam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

04:25 4:25 AM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

55,374

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Kottayam 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Kottayam

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 Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 374% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $427 in Kottayam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kottayam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $115 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $284 in Kottayam. That makes Kottayam about 79% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $10.45 in Kottayam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kottayam, where all-in costs run around $284, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Kottayam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kottayam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.