Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Lexington, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,672 in Lexington, MA, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Lexington, MA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,672
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Lexington, MA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,672 in Lexington, MA.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Lexington, MA $2,672

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,542 in Lexington, MA.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Lexington, MA $4,542

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $6,412 in Lexington, MA.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Lexington, MA $6,412

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 49% less than in Lexington, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 0% above, Lexington, MA 97% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$20.23 $20.23
-84.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$74.1 $74.1
-52.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$15.84 $15.84
-64.02%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$4.89 $4.89
-46.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$2.86 $2.86
-39.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$2.05 $2.05
-60.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$6.81 $6.81
-61.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$7.98 $7.98
-45.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.17 $1.17
34.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$3.93 $3.93
-44.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$4.72 $4.72
-75.00%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$4.18 $4.18
-48.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$12.65 $12.65
39.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$12.65 $12.65
-70.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$17.08 $17.08
-30.04%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$4.32 $4.32
-16.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.83 $1.83
-13.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$4.53 $4.53
-49.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$5.17 $5.17
-63.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$2.39 $2.39
-25.52%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$2.93 $2.93
-20.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$1.99 $1.99
-49.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$2.21 $2.21
-76.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$8.55 $8.55
-73.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$16.74 $16.74
31.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$1.82 $1.82
29.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$3.42 $3.42
-12.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$2.20 $2.20
-89.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$2.73 $2.73
-82.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$1.74 $1.74
-75.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$28.81 $28.81
-81.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.04 $1.04
-20.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$27.7K $27.7K
-13.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$28.1K $28.1K
16.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$189 $189
-57.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$59.2 $59.2
-88.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$70.5 $70.5
-73.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$42.12 $42.12
28.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$13.93 $13.93
-69.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$1,400 $1,400
-64.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$23.6K $23.6K
-76.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$58.6 $58.6
-22.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$36.47 $36.47
-4.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$88.4 $88.4
-12.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$111 $111
-29.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$1,530 $1,530
-26.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$1,380 $1,380
-51.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$2,878 $2,878
25.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$3,564 $3,564
-52.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$2,775 $2,775
-2.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$2,356 $2,356
-4.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Lexington, MA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
6.79
102.95%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lexington, MA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Lexington, MA
$1.4K 105% $707
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Lexington, MA
$413 43.6% $125
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Lexington, MA
$133 24.5% $26
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Lexington, MA
$338 217% $231
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Lexington, MA
$319 203% $214
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Lexington, MA
$70 11.8% $7.4
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Lexington, MA
$20 * 62.7% $7.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $1,530 in Lexington, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $74.0 in Lexington, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $413 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇺🇸 Lexington, MA
🕒 Local time
19:41 7:41 PM
07:41 7:41 AM
12 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
322,570
Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Lexington, MA 16,190 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Lexington, MA

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 Lexington, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Lexington, MA?
Ubud, Bali and Lexington, MA differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $2,672 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Lexington, MA?
You'd need roughly $2,030 in Ubud, Bali and $4,007 in Lexington, MA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Lexington, MA?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,530 in Lexington, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Lexington, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Lexington, MA?
All in, you'll spend $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,672 in Lexington, MA – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,672 in Lexington, MA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Lexington, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Lexington, MA?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Ubud, Bali or Lexington, MA safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Lexington, MA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Lexington, MA?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Lexington, MA. 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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