Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,503 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,503 in Male.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Male $1,503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,416 in Male.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Male $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,329 in Male.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Male $3,329

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 10% less than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$5.82 MVR 89.8

-42.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$39.22 MVR 605

-9.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$9.64 MVR 149

-42.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.81 MVR 74.2

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 MVR 74.3

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$3.50 MVR 53.9

-22.29%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.60 MVR 24.74

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.31 MVR 4.85

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$2.07 MVR 31.97

-28.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.69 MVR 26.03

34.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.20 MVR 18.58

-0.83%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.87 MVR 28.91

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$10.46 MVR 161

69.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$6.20 MVR 95.6

-36.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$9.20 MVR 142

32.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$3.99 MVR 61.5

-8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$3.14 MVR 48.37

-51.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.17 MVR 64.3

-46.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$2.71 MVR 41.77

-27.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$2.09 MVR 32.19

-11.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.94 MVR 29.91

24.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$2.16 MVR 33.27

-54.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.63 MVR 9.69

-19.05%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.41 MVR 191

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MVR 30.86

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$14.69 MVR 227

-84.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.63 MVR 9.71

-60.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$29.62 MVR 457

-73.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$1.93 MVR 29.70

-77.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$1.96 MVR 30.19

-78.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$10.14 MVR 156

-46.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.98 MVR 15.05

-16.33%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$32.8K MVR 505.8K

-27.32%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$29.9K MVR 461.0K

6.19%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$118 MVR 1,812

-32.71%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$29.67 MVR 457

-78.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$73.0 MVR 1,126

-74.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$69.9 MVR 1,078

-29.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$33.50 MVR 517

-47.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$9.69 MVR 149

-55.93%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$188 MVR 2,896

161.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$2,954 MVR 45.6K

92.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$39.54 MVR 610

12.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$50.1 MVR 773

-30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$85.9 MVR 1,325

-7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$52.9 MVR 816

50.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$939 MVR 14.5K

19.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$686 MVR 10.6K

-2.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$2,019 MVR 31.1K

76.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$1,530 MVR 23.6K

12.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$2,275 MVR 35.1K

20.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$1,398 MVR 21.6K

63.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$833 MVR 12.8K

-80.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-1.57%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Male: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Male

$686 45.7% 2.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Male

$235 15.7% 18.5% $53

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Male

$125 8.3% 16.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Male

$103 6.8% 4.4% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Male

$220 14.7% 112% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Male

$89 5.9% 53.8% $31

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Male

$44 2.9% 284% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $939 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Male pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $39 in Male. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $235, with Male cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

3 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.17 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Male 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Ubud, Bali. 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: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $939 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,503 in Male – Ubud, Bali is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 74% less than in Male. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Male are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Male on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.