Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Luoyang Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Luoyang

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,395 in Ubud, Bali versus $624 in Luoyang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,559 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,010 in Luoyang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,724 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,396 in Luoyang.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 124% more expensive than Luoyang, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 4% above, Luoyang is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 Rp 59.7K

$3.42 ¥23.35

1.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.88 Rp 564.0K

$28.24 ¥193

16.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 Rp 87.3K

$5.09 ¥34.77

Cappuccino

$2.75 Rp 47.1K

$3.38 ¥23.09

-18.64%

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

$1.38 Rp 23.7K

$0.43 ¥2.96

220.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 Rp 12.2K

$0.23 ¥1.57

208.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 Rp 49.4K

$1.16 ¥7.92

148.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 Rp 66.4K

$2.78 ¥18.98

39.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 Rp 30.7K

$1.73 ¥11.79

3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 Rp 42.0K

$2.05 ¥13.97

19.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 Rp 20.7K

$0.93 ¥6.35

30.11%

Eggs

$2.39 Rp 40.9K

$1.33 ¥9.10

79.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 Rp 252.1K

$12.63 ¥86.2

16.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 Rp 72.7K

$3.24 ¥22.14

30.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.08 Rp 207.1K

$8.35 ¥57.0

44.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 62.9K

$0.88 ¥6.01

315.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 Rp 27.6K

$1.26 ¥8.63

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 Rp 46.6K

$1.40 ¥9.56

94.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 39.0K

$1.08 ¥7.40

110.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 32.6K

$0.67 ¥4.60

183.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 Rp 39.4K

$0.97 ¥6.63

137.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 17.4K

$0.44 ¥2.98

131.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 Rp 13.4K

$0.74 ¥5.04

5.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 Rp 55.7K

$1.61 ¥11.00

101.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.06 Rp 412.7K

$13.26 ¥90.6

81.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 Rp 48.7K

$0.40 ¥2.73

610.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 Rp 47.8K

$1.99 ¥13.58

40.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,610

$0.29 ¥2.00

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.24 Rp 141.4K

$16.82 ¥115

-51.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 7,708

$1.13 ¥7.73

-60.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,305

$0.35 ¥2.40

22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 Rp 103.3K

$6.60 ¥45.09

-8.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 14.7K

$1.14 ¥7.81

-24.56%

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

$26.1K Rp 447.1M

$19.0K ¥129.8K

37.18%

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

$31.7K Rp 543.7M

$16.7K ¥114.3K

89.38%

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

$78.3 Rp 1.3M

$39.53 ¥270

98.18%

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

$4.00 Rp 68.5K

$5.54 ¥37.83

-27.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.35 Rp 417.7K

$9.83 ¥67.2

147.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.8 Rp 1.6M

$20.85 ¥142

359.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.46 Rp 110.7K

$11.20 ¥76.5

-42.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.01 Rp 68.7K

$5.08 ¥34.69

-21.06%

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

$302 Rp 5.2M

$184 ¥1,258

63.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,545 Rp 112.3M

$17.0K ¥116.1K

-61.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 Rp 916.3K

$46.28 ¥316

15.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 Rp 661.2K

$27.57 ¥188

39.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 Rp 1.5M

$59.2 ¥404

50.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 Rp 1.4M

$73.6 ¥502

7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 Rp 17.4M

$178 ¥1,217

470.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 Rp 11.5M

$118 ¥805

470.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,368 Rp 57.8M

$396 ¥2,705

750.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,108 Rp 36.2M

$210 ¥1,434

904.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,001 Rp 51.5M

$2,069 ¥14.1K

45.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,337 Rp 40.1M

$1,400 ¥9,561

66.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$178 Rp 3.0M

$621 ¥4,244

-71.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

4.45

198.43%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: April 12, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Ubud, Bali and $178 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luoyang pays 250% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33 in Ubud, Bali vs $28 in Luoyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $196 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

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 Luoyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 124% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Luoyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Luoyang earns 250% less. 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: $1,016 in Ubud, Bali versus $178 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $302 in Ubud, Bali versus $184 in Luoyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $624 in Luoyang versus $1,395 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Luoyang but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Luoyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Luoyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $624 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Luoyang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Luoyang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.