Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,229 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Kyoto
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,229
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,229 in Kyoto, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Kyoto $1,229

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,987 in Kyoto, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Kyoto $1,987

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,745 in Kyoto, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Kyoto $2,745

Ubud, Bali costs about 11% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Kyoto is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$9.52 ¥1,504
-65.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$31.84 ¥5,031
10.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$5.00 ¥791
16.00%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$3.35 ¥529
-18.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$0.83 ¥132
97.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$0.73 ¥115
13.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$3.18 ¥503
-15.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$5.51 ¥870
-21.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.55 ¥244
-3.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$1.63 ¥258
41.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$5.74 ¥907
-79.44%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$2.12 ¥335
0.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$8.57 ¥1,353
103.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$7.58 ¥1,197
-46.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$10.70 ¥1,690
14.30%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$5.16 ¥815
-31.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$2.27 ¥359
-30.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$4.94 ¥781
-54.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$3.51 ¥555
-45.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$1.94 ¥307
-3.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$1.66 ¥262
37.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$1.18 ¥187
-16.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$0.99 ¥156
-46.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$3.86 ¥610
-40.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$7.52 ¥1,189
205.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$1.56 ¥247
50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$3.27 ¥517
-11.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$1.48 ¥234
-83.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$63.5 ¥10.0K
-86.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$3.25 ¥513
-85.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$3.77 ¥596
-87.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$28.62 ¥4,521
-80.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.06 ¥167
-16.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$21.8K ¥3.4M
12.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$15.1K ¥2.4M
106.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$102 ¥16.1K
-18.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$23.50 ¥3,712
-72.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$31.15 ¥4,921
-40.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$52.3 ¥8,265
6.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
$19.00 ¥3,001
-4.68%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$12.06 ¥1,905
-63.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$642 ¥101.5K
-23.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$6,412 ¥1.0M
-10.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$56.8 ¥8,980
-18.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$45.66 ¥7,214
-22.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$69.4 ¥11.0K
14.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$105 ¥16.5K
-25.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$552 ¥87.1K
107.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$325 ¥51.4K
107.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$1,743 ¥275.4K
100.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$766 ¥121.0K
121.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$2,241 ¥354.0K
24.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$1,270 ¥200.7K
76.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Kyoto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$1,889 ¥298.5K
-91.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
2.23
517.94%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Kyoto
$325 51.9% $350
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Kyoto
$291 0.1% $0.4
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Kyoto
$165 51.3% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Kyoto
$156 44.7% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Kyoto
$124 15.7% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Kyoto
$76 18.3% $12
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Kyoto
$91 629% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $552 in Kyoto. 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 1048% higher in Kyoto, 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 $32.00 in Kyoto. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Ubud, Bali vs $291 in Kyoto – so Ubud, Bali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇯🇵 Kyoto
🕒 Local time
15:06 3:06 PM
16:06 4:06 PM
1 h ahead of Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
1,475,183
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Kyoto 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Kyoto

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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Ubud, Bali and Kyoto compare in cost of living?
Ubud, Bali costs about 11% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Kyoto?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,844 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ubud, Bali and Kyoto?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Ubud, Bali – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $32.00 in Kyoto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Kyoto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Kyoto?
It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,229 in Kyoto to $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ubud, Bali or Kyoto safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Ubud, Bali and Kyoto?
If budget matters most, go with Kyoto. 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.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?