Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kristiansand

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,685 in Kristiansand, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Kristiansand
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,685
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,685 in Kristiansand.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Kristiansand $2,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,020 in Kristiansand.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Kristiansand $4,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $5,355 in Kristiansand.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Kristiansand $5,355

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 50% less than in Kristiansand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 0% above, Kristiansand 98% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$28.76 NOK 271
-88.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$84.8 NOK 798
-58.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$16.39 NOK 154
-65.22%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$4.84 NOK 45.59
-45.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$3.31 NOK 31.18
-48.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$2.34 NOK 22.02
-65.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$12.69 NOK 119
-79.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$9.24 NOK 87.0
-52.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$2.32 NOK 21.81
-32.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$4.19 NOK 39.43
-47.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$3.98 NOK 37.46
-70.35%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$5.70 NOK 53.7
-62.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$12.88 NOK 121
37.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$15.49 NOK 146
-75.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$43.89 NOK 413
-72.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$4.41 NOK 41.52
-18.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$2.49 NOK 23.45
-36.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$4.02 NOK 37.80
-42.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$4.65 NOK 43.77
-58.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$2.55 NOK 24.00
-30.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$2.43 NOK 22.85
-4.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$3.13 NOK 29.48
-68.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$2.22 NOK 20.94
-76.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$17.30 NOK 163
-86.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$15.80 NOK 149
39.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$3.61 NOK 34.01
-34.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$3.99 NOK 37.54
-25.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$3.90 NOK 36.68
-94.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$72.2 NOK 680
-87.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$8.08 NOK 76.1
-94.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$1.70 NOK 15.96
-74.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$56.8 NOK 535
-90.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$2.26 NOK 21.23
-63.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$49.0K NOK 461.1K
-51.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$45.1K NOK 424.5K
-27.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$217 NOK 2,045
-63.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$31.89 NOK 300
-79.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$61.0 NOK 574
-69.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$48.67 NOK 458
11.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
$36.18 NOK 341
-49.47%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$15.80 NOK 149
-73.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$309 NOK 2,908
59.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$2,680 NOK 25.2K
108.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$115 NOK 1,084
-60.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$56.4 NOK 531
-38.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$118 NOK 1,110
-34.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$160 NOK 1,503
-50.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$1,194 NOK 11.2K
-5.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$1,009 NOK 9,499
-33.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$1,889 NOK 17.8K
91.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$1,581 NOK 14.9K
7.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$4,916 NOK 46.3K
-44.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$3,561 NOK 33.5K
-37.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Kristiansand
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$4,258 NOK 40.1K
-96.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.01
175.05%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kristiansand: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Kristiansand
$1K 50% $336
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Kristiansand
$537 87.1% $250
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Kristiansand
$202 89.7% $96
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Kristiansand
$442 315% $335
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Kristiansand
$310 195% $205
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Kristiansand
$80 28.2% $18
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Kristiansand
$104 739% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $1,194 in Kristiansand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kristiansand pays 2459% 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 $85.0 in Kristiansand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $537 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇳🇴 Kristiansand
🕒 Local time
19:40 7:40 PM
13:40 1:40 PM
6 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
117,213
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Kristiansand 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Kristiansand

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 Kristiansand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kristiansand cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 98% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ubud, Bali or Kristiansand?
On paper, salaries run 2459% lower in Kristiansand. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Ubud, Bali and Kristiansand?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,194 in Kristiansand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Kristiansand?
Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Kristiansand. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Ubud, Bali or in Kristiansand?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $85.0 in Kristiansand. 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 Kristiansand?
At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,685 in Kristiansand, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Kristiansand. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ubud, Bali or Kristiansand more family-friendly?
For families, Ubud, Bali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kristiansand, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Ubud, Bali or Kristiansand?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Kristiansand are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Kristiansand. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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