Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $972 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $972 in Kuching.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Kuching $2,070

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 39% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$3.37 MYR 13.75

-1.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$24.51 MYR 99.9

45.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$4.90 MYR 19.98

12.86%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$3.19 MYR 13.01

-14.73%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.78 MYR 3.19

117.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.38 MYR 1.55

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-42.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$5.96 MYR 24.30

-26.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$2.39 MYR 9.74

-37.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.19 MYR 4.87

91.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.19 MYR 4.85

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.38 MYR 9.68

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$10.99 MYR 44.77

61.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$4.34 MYR 17.67

-8.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$10.00 MYR 40.73

21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$3.17 MYR 12.92

15.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.32 MYR 5.38

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.52 MYR 10.28

-11.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.78 MYR 7.26

10.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.38 MYR 5.63

34.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.19 MYR 4.84

103.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.61 MYR 6.57

-38.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.55 MYR 2.22

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$4.76 MYR 19.37

-53.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$22.25 MYR 90.7

-0.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$4.13 MYR 16.81

-45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$5.06 MYR 20.60

-41.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.36 MYR 1.47

-30.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$7.48 MYR 30.47

4.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$0.97 MYR 3.95

-54.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-65.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$8.82 MYR 35.92

-38.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.94 MYR 3.83

-12.77%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

-48.10%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

-11.96%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$35.63 MYR 145

121.89%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$10.19 MYR 41.52

-36.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$25.50 MYR 104

-27.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$33.85 MYR 138

46.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$12.26 MYR 49.94

43.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$4.87 MYR 19.85

-12.32%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$135 MYR 551

262.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

-20.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$64.1 MYR 261

-30.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$37.52 MYR 153

-6.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$90.0 MYR 367

-11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$64.6 MYR 263

22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$469 MYR 1,912

139.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$334 MYR 1,361

101.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$834 MYR 3,399

327.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$654 MYR 2,667

163.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$2,053 MYR 8,364

33.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$1,534 MYR 6,248

48.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$535 MYR 2,181

-69.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.37

215.33%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 50.3% $337

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Kuching

$272 28% 5.6% $16

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 11.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 7.2% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 31.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 24.9% $14

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 40.5% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays about 3.3 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 $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $272 per month, with Kuching cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

349,147

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Kuching 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Kuching

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 Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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 $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $25 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $972 in Kuching – Kuching is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Kuching is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Kuching gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.