Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Mechelen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,050 in Mechelen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Mechelen
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Mechelen Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Mechelen

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,050 in Mechelen.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Mechelen $2,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,141 in Mechelen.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Mechelen $3,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,232 in Mechelen.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Mechelen $4,232

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 33% less than in Mechelen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Mechelen 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.7K

$22.22 €19.84

-85.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 630.5K

$106 €94.6

-66.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.0K

$13.20 €11.78

-56.06%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 48.9K

$4.16 €3.71

-34.38%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

$3.49 €3.12

-53.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$2.95 €2.63

-71.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.4K

$5.55 €4.95

-51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.0K

$5.57 €4.97

-22.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

$1.20 €1.07

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.2K

$2.79 €2.49

-17.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

$2.13 €1.90

-44.60%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.4K

$3.62 €3.23

-40.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 313.3K

$17.00 €15.18

2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.2K

$11.76 €10.49

-65.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 219.2K

$19.68 €17.56

-37.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.6K

$2.73 €2.43

30.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

$2.42 €2.16

-35.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.1K

$2.50 €2.23

-10.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.6K

$2.80 €2.50

-31.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

$2.10 €1.87

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$1.87 €1.67

22.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.35 €1.21

-26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,435

$1.02 €0.91

-48.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 40.9K

$13.15 €11.74

-82.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 412.5K

$8.84 €7.89

160.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.0K

$1.72 €1.54

36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.2K

$2.17 €1.94

34.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,297

$3.41 €3.04

-92.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.1K

$55.1 €49.14

-83.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,648

$5.44 €4.85

-91.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,198

$2.62 €2.34

-82.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.8K

$43.75 €39.05

-87.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$2.02 €1.80

-56.44%

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

$24.6K Rp 440.4M

$35.3K €31.5K

-30.48%

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

$31.2K Rp 559.0M

$34.0K €30.4K

-8.33%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$204 €182

-59.25%

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

$6.45 Rp 115.5K

$21.82 €19.47

-70.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 332.8K

$46.94 €41.90

-60.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$29.65 €26.46

88.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 324.6K

$13.64 €12.18

32.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.6K

$14.95 €13.34

-70.70%

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

$493 Rp 8.8M

$554 €494

-11.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.1M

$21.4K €19.1K

-73.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 828.0K

$106 €94.2

-56.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 633.3K

$49.11 €43.83

-28.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$109 €97.2

-27.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$147 €131

-46.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.5M

$927 €827

23.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.1M

$771 €688

-12.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 62.8M

$1,436 €1,282

143.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.5M

$1,207 €1,077

40.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 49.9M

$4,998 €4,460

-44.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.2M

$3,620 €3,231

-38.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 2.9M

$2,172 €1,939

-92.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.46

298.27%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mechelen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Mechelen

$771 37.6% 14.2% $96

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Mechelen

$342 16.7% 17.8% $52

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Mechelen

$332 16.2% 205% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Mechelen

$272 13.3% 152% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Mechelen

$185 9% 71.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Mechelen

$60 2.9% 7.8% $5

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Mechelen

$87 4.3% 595% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $927 in Mechelen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mechelen pays 1220% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $106 in Mechelen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $342 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇧🇪 Mechelen

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

80,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.58 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 17,925 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.58 USD). 1 EUR = 20,059 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Mechelen 12,190 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Mechelen

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 Mechelen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1220% lower in Mechelen. 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: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $927 in Mechelen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 524% less than in Mechelen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $554 in Mechelen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,050 in Mechelen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Mechelen. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ubud, Bali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mechelen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Mechelen 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Mechelen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.