Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and McLean, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,348 a month against $3,046 in McLean, VA, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in McLean, VA
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McLean, VA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

McLean, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in McLean, VA

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

A single person spends $1,348 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,046 in McLean, VA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
McLean, VA $3,046

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,819 in McLean, VA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
McLean, VA $4,819

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $6,593 in McLean, VA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
McLean, VA $6,593

Ubud, Bali is about 56% cheaper than McLean, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and McLean, VA sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 1%, McLean, VA by 127%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$16.20 $16.20

-79.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$70.7 $70.7

-49.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$11.51 $11.51

-49.96%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$5.35 $5.35

-50.84%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$2.36 $2.36

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.94 $1.94

-60.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$8.74 $8.74

-68.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$10.07 $10.07

-55.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$1.34 $1.34

14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$4.15 $4.15

-46.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$2.22 $2.22

-45.05%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$4.70 $4.70

-54.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$17.33 $17.33

2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$16.91 $16.91

-77.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$18.48 $18.48

-34.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$6.07 $6.07

-40.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$1.69 $1.69

-10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$4.88 $4.88

-52.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$5.80 $5.80

-65.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$2.89 $2.89

-37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$3.75 $3.75

-36.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$2.68 $2.68

-63.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

$2.66 $2.66

-80.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$14.02 $14.02

-84.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$16.12 $16.12

42.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$3.30 $3.30

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$5.81 $5.81

-48.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$2.56 $2.56

-90.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$3.97 $3.97

-88.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$1.63 $1.63

-74.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$25.34 $25.34

-78.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$0.91 $0.91

-7.69%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

$35.9K $35.9K

-32.16%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

$26.9K $26.9K

18.76%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$213 $213

-62.13%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$76.5 $76.5

-91.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$54.3 $54.3

-66.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$89.6 $89.6

-38.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$18.20 $18.20

-76.70%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$1,932 $1,932

-74.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$42.2K $42.2K

-86.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$52.5 $52.5

-13.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

$43.98 $43.98

-21.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$69.5 $69.5

13.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$66.1 $66.1

17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$2,822 $2,822

-60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$1,601 $1,601

-57.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$3,954 $3,954

-8.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$3,436 $3,436

-49.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$5,759 $5,759

-97.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.63

107.84%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for McLean, VA: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

McLean, VA

$1.6K 53.5% 138% $927

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

McLean, VA

$483 16.2% 66.4% $193

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

McLean, VA

$309 10.4% 186% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

McLean, VA

$104 3.5% 1.9% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

McLean, VA

$344 11.5% 226% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

McLean, VA

$126 4.2% 98.1% $62

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

McLean, VA

$22 * 0.8% 113% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,822 in McLean, VA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3376% higher in McLean, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $71.0 in McLean, VA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $483 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 McLean, VA

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

48,115

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali McLean, VA 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
McLean, VA

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 McLean, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, $3,046 in McLean, VA – roughly 126% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,022 per month in Ubud, Bali and $4,569 in McLean, VA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,348 in Ubud, Bali and $3,046 in McLean, VA. That's a gap of about 126%.

Kindergarten costs $486 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,932 in McLean, VA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,348, than in McLean, VA at $3,046. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in McLean, VA 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 $1,348 in Ubud, Bali to $3,046 in McLean, VA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, McLean, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.