Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Mandalay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandalay: $240 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Mandalay, Myanmar
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Mandalay
🇲🇲 Myanmar
$240
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $240 in Mandalay.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Mandalay $240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $415 in Mandalay.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Mandalay $415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $590 in Mandalay.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Mandalay $590

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 463% more expensive than in Mandalay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
$1.97 MMK 4,117
68.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 648.1K
$9.83 MMK 20.6K
262.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
$1.26 MMK 2,635
115.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$0.87 MMK 1,827
95.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$1.02 MMK 2,141
-25.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.3K
$0.99 MMK 2,064
167.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.7K
$1.28 MMK 2,686
242.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.03 MMK 2,153
44.66%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
$0.98 MMK 2,061
132.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$0.54 MMK 1,127
120.37%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
$1.00 MMK 2,100
104.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.9K
$10.03 MMK 21.0K
76.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 72.1K
$5.98 MMK 12.5K
-33.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.7K
$7.01 MMK 14.7K
73.89%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.5K
$4.15 MMK 8,683
-11.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
$1.03 MMK 2,150
47.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.26 MMK 2,645
76.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
$0.71 MMK 1,494
177.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$1.33 MMK 2,789
39.10%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
$1.17 MMK 2,457
106.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$0.38 MMK 806
160.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,336
$0.31 MMK 650
64.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$1.02 MMK 2,145
117.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 404.4K
$4.91 MMK 10.3K
352.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$0.59 MMK 1,242
283.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,564
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,992
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,821
$0.41 MMK 868
4.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.4K
$3.90 MMK 8,170
38.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
-
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 433.5M
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 577.3M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
$6.79 MMK 14.2K
-5.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.8K
-
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 899.8K
$17.71 MMK 37.1K
179.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.9K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$241 MMK 504.3K
103.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.2M
$5,733 MMK 12.0M
-1.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 811.7K
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 635.6K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.5M
$199 MMK 416.9K
464.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
$298 MMK 624.5K
1095.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.7M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Mandalay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$204 MMK 427.0K
-19.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
0
-

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mandalay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Mandalay
–
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Mandalay
–
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Mandalay
–
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Mandalay
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Mandalay
–
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Mandalay
–
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Mandalay
–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $199 in Mandalay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandalay pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $10 in Mandalay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $167 per month, with Mandalay cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇲🇲 Mandalay
🕒 Local time
11:09 11:09 AM
09:39 9:39 AM
1 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
1,208,099
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MMK, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,242 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,331 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.29 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Mandalay 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Mandalay

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 Mandalay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Mandalay?
Mandalay wins on cost – living expenses run 82% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mandalay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Mandalay?
On paper, salaries run 20% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Mandalay?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $199 in Mandalay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Mandalay?
Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Mandalay?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $240 in Mandalay – Mandalay is about 82% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Ubud, Bali or in Mandalay?
At $240 in Mandalay versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Mandalay but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Mandalay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ubud, Bali or Mandalay?
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.

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