Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $925 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Maha Sarakham

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $925 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Maha Sarakham $925

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,533 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Maha Sarakham $1,533

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,140 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Maha Sarakham $2,140

Ubud, Bali costs about 44% more than Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ubud, Bali and Maha Sarakham are more affordable than the global median – Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Maha Sarakham 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

$2.92 ฿98.4

15.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

$27.94 ฿943

24.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

$7.50 ฿253

-25.73%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$1.71 ฿57.8

53.22%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.60 ฿20.37

156.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.33 ฿11.27

93.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$1.82 ฿61.5

46.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

$2.95 ฿99.4

44.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.71 ฿57.6

-14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$1.33 ฿45.02

72.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$1.41 ฿47.67

-21.28%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$2.41 ฿81.3

-12.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

$17.68 ฿597

-9.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

$2.66 ฿89.6

45.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

$11.67 ฿394

-2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

$2.80 ฿94.5

26.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.11 ฿37.29

38.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.36 ฿79.5

-5.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.75 ฿58.9

12.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$1.28 ฿43.31

45.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$1.16 ฿39.12

108.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$1.06 ฿35.82

-3.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,475

$0.45 ฿15.20

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$4.32 ฿146

-49.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

$20.25 ฿683

7.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$1.92 ฿64.9

21.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.62 ฿88.3

13.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

$0.87 ฿29.37

-71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,941

$1.34 ฿45.25

-67.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,489

$1.16 ฿39.28

-59.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$4.26 ฿144

31.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.31 ฿44.25

-36.64%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

$27.1K ฿914.3K

-9.79%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

$27.1K ฿914.5K

16.94%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$93.9 ฿3,166

-17.44%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

$10.16 ฿343

-39.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

$16.73 ฿565

13.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

$42.96 ฿1,450

18.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

$11.62 ฿392

57.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$5.64 ฿190

-22.34%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$581 ฿19.6K

-15.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

$15.5K ฿522.7K

-21.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

$45.52 ฿1,536

-0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

$30.46 ฿1,028

14.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$84.5 ฿2,852

-7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$81.5 ฿2,751

-4.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$485 ฿16.4K

122.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$288 ฿9,731

130.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$1,219 ฿41.1K

187.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$745 ฿25.1K

124.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

$2,021 ฿68.2K

15.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

$1,677 ฿56.6K

33.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Maha Sarakham: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Maha Sarakham

$288 31.2% 56.6% $377

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Maha Sarakham

$257 27.8% 8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Maha Sarakham

$109 11.8% 2.5% $2.6

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Maha Sarakham

$85 9.2% 19.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Maha Sarakham

$121 13.1% 17.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Maha Sarakham

$54 5.9% 9.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Maha Sarakham

$11 * 1.2% 10.9% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $485 in Maha Sarakham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $28 in Maha Sarakham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $257 – making Maha Sarakham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

46,523

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,309 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Maha Sarakham 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, $925 in Maha Sarakham – Maha Sarakham comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,388 in Maha Sarakham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maha Sarakham, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $485 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali and $28 in Maha Sarakham. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,331. In Maha Sarakham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Maha Sarakham to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.