Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $872 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $872 in Lusaka.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Lusaka $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,488 in Lusaka.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Lusaka $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,103 in Lusaka.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Lusaka $2,103

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 55% more expensive than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Lusaka is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$5.58 ZMW 111

-42.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$29.94 ZMW 595

16.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$4.99 ZMW 99.3

14.23%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$2.84 ZMW 56.5

-7.75%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.77 ZMW 15.27

123.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.46 ZMW 9.13

76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.27 ZMW 25.34

108.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$2.30 ZMW 45.73

90.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.69 ZMW 33.64

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

87.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.01 ZMW 39.99

-41.29%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.96 ZMW 39.04

10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$10.49 ZMW 209

68.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$6.34 ZMW 126

-40.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$6.61 ZMW 131

80.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$3.30 ZMW 65.6

9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$2.45 ZMW 48.81

-35.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$3.66 ZMW 72.8

-36.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.57 ZMW 31.27

21.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$2.52 ZMW 50.1

-29.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.79 ZMW 35.66

30.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.12 ZMW 22.24

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.74 ZMW 14.75

-28.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$2.94 ZMW 58.5

-22.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$10.09 ZMW 201

118.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.42 ZMW 28.21

65.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$2.32 ZMW 46.18

28.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.97 ZMW 19.35

-76.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$50.0 ZMW 995

-82.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$2.46 ZMW 48.89

-80.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

-71.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$4.99 ZMW 99.2

9.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.51 ZMW 29.99

-45.03%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$7,644 ZMW 152.0K

212.37%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$27.8K ZMW 553.6K

17.79%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$81.7 ZMW 1,626

-2.13%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$10.28 ZMW 204

-36.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$54.4 ZMW 1,081

-65.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$55.1 ZMW 1,096

-1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$15.21 ZMW 303

20.18%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$6.03 ZMW 120

-29.52%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$139 ZMW 2,774

253.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

-66.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$23.04 ZMW 458

97.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$15.19 ZMW 302

130.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$45.38 ZMW 903

71.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$380 ZMW 7,564

197.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$177 ZMW 3,513

280.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$1,067 ZMW 21.2K

238.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$593 ZMW 11.8K

187.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$1,895 ZMW 37.7K

43.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$5,017 ZMW 99.8K

-55.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$316 ZMW 6,290

-47.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-52.48%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Lusaka

$177 20.3% 73.7% $496

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Lusaka

$238 27.3% 17.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Lusaka

$70 8.1% 33.9% $36

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Lusaka

$110 12.6% 3% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Lusaka

$146 16.8% 39.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 7.3% $4.6

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 415% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $380 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lusaka pays 90% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $30.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $238 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Lusaka 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Lusaka

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 Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Lusaka differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $872 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Lusaka. 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: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $380 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $872 in Lusaka – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lusaka runs roughly 462% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $872 in Lusaka versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Lusaka 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 Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.