Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $613 in Medan.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Medan $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $940 in Medan.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Medan $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,266 in Medan.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Medan $1,266

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 123% more expensive than in Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Medan is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

94.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

323.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

96.61%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

78.43%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.35 Rp 6,215

368.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.25 Rp 4,534

232.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

19.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

35.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

94.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

45.68%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

62.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

115.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

12.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

92.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

47.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

49.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

57.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

107.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

123.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

27.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.38 Rp 6,905

160.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.44 Rp 7,872

20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

-20.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

46.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

27.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.27 Rp 4,816

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

48.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$0.51 Rp 9,186

-5.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.19 Rp 3,465

142.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

10.00%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-0.42%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-3.19%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

-2.16%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

103.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

-21.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

229.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

115.34%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

33.13%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$112 Rp 2.0M

341.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

239.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

-14.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

-8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$108 Rp 1.9M

-26.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$111 Rp 2.0M

-29.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$233 Rp 4.2M

390.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

652.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$494 Rp 8.9M

608.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$212 Rp 3.8M

702.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

140.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$560 Rp 10.1M

300.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$215 Rp 3.9M

-23.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.25

48.97%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Medan

$90 14.6% 86.7% $586

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Medan

$181 29.5% 37.7% $110

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Medan

$59 9.6% 46% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Medan

$112 18.2% 3.3% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Medan

$140 22.9% 30.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Medan

$24 3.8% 63.6% $41

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 32.5% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $233 in Medan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medan pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $8.00 in Medan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $181 per month, with Medan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Medan 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Medan

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 Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 123% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Medan. 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 $233 in Medan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medan runs roughly 49% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $112 in Medan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $613 in Medan versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medan but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Medan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Medan 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 Medan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.